YELLOWKNIFE August 23, 2021 – The Office of the Chief Public Health Officer (OCPHO) is reporting a detection of the virus causing COVID-19 in the wastewater from Behchokǫ̀.

The signal was detected today. The sample shows a level of virus that suggests individual(s) with COVID-19 was/were in Behchokǫ̀ between August 20 to 23 inclusive.

This signal is unexpected, meaning the OCPHO is unaware of anyone with COVID-19 in the community.

The OCPHO recommends the following public health actions as it continues to monitor the situation:

•  Isolate immediately and arrange for testing (call the health centre before arriving). 
  • Anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 in Behchokǫ̀
  • Anyone in Behchokǫ̀ who was present at recent exposure notifications or identified as contacts to COVID-19. See link to exposures: https://www.gov.nt.ca/covid-19/en/services/public-exposure-notifications
• Arrange for testing (call the health centre before arriving). 
  • Anyone who visited any region of NWT with COVID-19 activity between Aug. 10- 23, and who was in Behchokǫ̀ between Aug. 20-23

• Wear a mask in all indoor public settings.
• Get vaccinated if you are eligible for COVID-19 vaccine.
• Limit indoor gatherings. It is safest to gather indoors only with your own household until further notice. If you must gather, do it outdoors.
• Stay home if you are sick.

Attribution

All commentary is attributable to Dr. Kami Kandola, Chief Public Health Officer for the Northwest Territories.

Relevant links

• NWT COVID-19 Dashboard
• Travel Hotspots
• Delta Variant FAQs
• GWNT COVID-19 website
• Vaccination Bookings