Top doc says robust testing gives N.W.T. an advantage as COVID-19 health emergency nears end

N.W.T. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Kami Kandola says the amount of COVID-19 testing the N.W.T. is doing means the territory is in a better position to handle reopening than other provinces and territories in Canada.

The territory's public health emergency is set to come to an end April 1, along with the rest of the COVID-19 restrictions.

"It's definitely the light at the end of the tunnel," Kandola said.

Kandola and outgoing N.W.T. medical director Dr. AnneMarie Pegg answered questions about the pandemic live on The Trailbreaker Thursday morning. It was the last live call-in from the two doctors.

Despite the fact that official figures show the N.W.T. has the second-highest rate of infection in the country behind P.E.I., Kandola said the territory is capturing a broader range of testing data than other provinces and territories. That means the territory has a more accurate idea of the impacts of the Omicron variant than other areas.

"We have made self-reporting rapid antigen (test results) mandatory, and that is basically providing up to 39 per cent of our results," she said.

"Other jurisdictions do not report their positive rapid antigen tests (and) if you look at their websites, are all stating that they have eligibility criteria for who gets PCR testing. So therefore, they are vastly undercounting their cases."

Missed the live call-in? Watch it here:

Of the 7,000-plus cases of Omicron that have been detected in the N.W.T. so far, Kandola said there is one death and one ICU admission per 1,000 cases. The territory has also seen five or six hospitalizations per 1,000 cases, making it "a lot milder than Delta (variant)."

If another variant comes along, Pegg said health officials will need to evaluate whether the current vaccines and treatments are effective against it, as well as whether immunity from a previous infection is effective.

Kandola said the date of April 1 means there will be five days after the March break to monitor how many COVID-19 cases are being imported.

"What's unique about this phase is, in previous holidays ... we were seeing an increase in cases of COVID or COVID variants. Here in Canada, we're actually on the decline," she said.

"We can control the impact of any importation risk, but I think this particular March break is not going to pose the same risk as other holidays periods. But it needs to be monitored."

Some precautions will remain

Addressing questions about care for elders and those in hospital, Pegg said the territory will continue to assess the benefits of reopening against the risks of having more people visit these facilities. She said the territory is looking at changing its policy on having visitors in hospitals, though no changes have been made yet.

"Masking requirements inside NTHSSA (Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority) facilities will probably continue for some time in order to add a layer of protection," she added. 

The general masking order for the territory will lift April 1, but Kandola said health officials are looking at keeping masking policies in elder care facilities as well. She said the territory will provide more information on that later this month.

Pegg said they are also working out the best way to test staff and visitors while allowing residents of those facilities the freedom to have people over or go out to attend activities.

She noted elders are among those N.W.T. residents who are still at a higher risk of becoming very sick from COVID-19.

As for testing, Pegg said testing will still be available after April 1. People with symptoms, especially those who are considered high-risk, should visit their health centre or make an appointment with their primary care provider.

The territory will continue vaccinating people against the virus as well.

Kandola said the online COVID-19 dashboard, where the territory posts its latest case counts, won't be updated as often after April 1. Residents can expect it to drop to once-weekly reporting, though that can increase if COVID-19 cases begin rising again.

The latest on schools

Kandola said the territory is working on recommendations for schools after April 1. For kids in junior Kindergarten and day care, they have been providing testing kits to families.

When the masking policy lifts on April 1, the territory will also lift mandatory masking in classroom settings.

"If parents are concerned, they can encourage their kids to mask," she said.

There have been about 590 reported cases of COVID-19 among kids under the age of five so far, she noted — about 20 per cent of that age group.

Kandola said kids under five are among the people the territory wants to monitor, since they don't have access to a COVID-19 vaccine yet and likely won't until later this spring.

She also asked parents to do a risk assessment if they plan to hold a gathering with young children.

Learning curve

At the end of the call-in Thursday morning, Kandola and Pegg reflected on the lessons they've learned over the past two years and what it means to reopen.

"My experience with other pandemics — the H1N1 pandemic, with influenza, it's a lot easier to deal with. It doesn't involve the development of a vaccine. And it ended pretty quickly. But with our first worldwide coronavirus pandemic, I've learned a lot about COVID-19, and we needed to pivot as COVID-19 pivoted," Kandola said.

"We're always playing a game of chess with COVID and trying to jump ahead — try to think about what COVID will do next, and try to lessen the impacts on the N.W.T. as much as possible."

Pegg said her big takeaway from the past two years is how vital it is to communicate and collaborate with people.

"I'm really grateful for having had the opportunity to do that and share information, and I think we're always learning... how we can do a better job," she said.

"Hopefully we won't have a chance to do a better job with another global pandemic or another emergency, but I think it's shed a lot of light on how important it is to be able to give clear messages to people and do our best to communicate things in a way that people are able to understand and buy into."