N.W.T. reports 1 new COVID-19 death, continued downward trend in overall cases

The N.W.T. reported one COVID-19-related death Tuesday, the 10th in the territory since the pandemic began.

The Office of the Public Health Officer (OCPHO) said in a news release that seven of the people who have died of COVID-19 were unvaccinated, and that two others were partially vaccinated.

Only one of the 10 people who died was fully vaccinated, the OCPHO said.

It added that 59 people have been hospitalized since the start of the pandemic. Of those, 55 are associated with the current Delta variant outbreak in the territory, which started in mid-August.

The OCPHO added that 68 per cent of those hospitalized were not fully vaccinated, and that 19 people have been admitted to the ICU.

Case count continues downward trend

Meanwhile, the case count in the territory continued to trend downward as the OCPHO reported 199 active cases in the territory, down from 207 Monday. It's the first time since Sept. 15 that the case count in the territory is below 200.

Cases in Yellowknife, Dettah and Ndilǫ dropped to 78 Tuesday from 91 a day earlier.

However, the case count rose slightly in both Behchokǫ, where there are 48 reported cases, six more than yesterday, and Hay River and K'atl'odeeche First Nation, where there are 62 cases, four more than Monday.

The number of cases dropped by half in Inuvik since yesterday, going from 10 to five.

There remain three active cases in Łutsel Kʼe, and one each in Wekweètì, Fort Smith, and at the Ekati diamond mine.