Western Nunavut eyes COVID-19's impact on southern health care

So far, the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases affecting hospitals in the Northwest Territories and Alberta have not affected medical travellers from western Nunavut.

"It's the same as it would have been two months ago or six months ago," said Robyn Clarke, the executive director of Kitikmeot health services for the western Nunavut region's five communities.

People are still traveling south for medical appointments, she said, "and they're either isolating in isolation hubs on their way home or they're coming home and isolating at home."

The Government of Nunavut has agreements with the N.W.T. and Alberta to supply specialize health care services to the roughly 7,000 residents of western Nunavut.

Only a few non-urgent appointments from the residents have been postponed, Clarke said.

"However, we anticipate there may be some interruption," she said.

Still, Nunavut continues to be concerned for its southern partners and what they are dealing with, she said, even though no one from the territory has had to be transferred yet to hospitals outside Yellowknife and Edmonton.

About 25 now isolating in Kugluktuk

A single case of COVID-19 was declared in Nunavut's westernmost community of Kugluktuk on Sept. 21.

That was the first positive case in western Nunavut since the beginning of the pandemic.

To stave off a larger outbreak in Kugluktuk, Nunavut's health department has ramped up its vaccination and testing program in the community.

As well, about 25 individuals are now in isolation in Kugluktuk. These include contacts of the known case and those have any symptoms.

Clarke said Nunavut continues to encourage everybody to become vaccinated and is testing anyone with any COVID-19 symptoms.

That will enable health officials to know more quickly if there are any new COVID-19 cases in communities, she said.

"We are always on heightened alert. I think are pretty well prepared and luckily we have been able to hold it off for 18 months from our region," Clarke said. "That's helped us and the territory get into a better position where we have a better opportunity to react when we do have a positive case."

Gift certificates for vaccines

To that end, an appointment-only vaccination clinic for anyone 12 and older is taking place Saturday at Kugluktuk's Jimmy Hikok Ilihakvik Elementary School.

Efforts to encourage people in the community of about 1,500 to become vaccinated have been backed up by the regional Kitikmeot Inuit Association. Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and KIA are handing out gift certificates as incentives to those who have been vaccinated, including a $25 voucher for people who've had one dose, and a $50 voucher for those who've had both.

That prompted many to line up this week at the KIA office in Kugluktuk.

Government of Nunavut statistics show that, as of Sept. 21, 67 per cent of people in Kugluktuk 12 and over have received their first dose and 57 per cent have received second doses.

That's close to the regional tally, in which 61 per cent of people over 12 have had both doses and 73 per cent have had one.