A case of Covid-19 in Fort Smith has been confirmed. The NWT government said the individual was “doing well” and isolating at home.
The case is the territory’s 23rd confirmed report of the virus to date. It was initially detected using an Abbott ID Now rapid testing device, recently introduced in the territory, then confirmed at a Yellowknife laboratory.
The person involved had returned from travel elsewhere in Canada, the territorial government said in an advisory.
Only one contact was identified by a public health investigation. That contact is isolating.
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“There are no identified risks of exposure in public places or through air travel,” the territorial government siad.
“Public health provided isolation advice for the individual and contact. Monitoring will continue.”
The Abbott ID Now devices allow for rapid testing but are considered less reliable than testing in a lab. As a result, initial positives are sent for lab confirmation.
In this instance, the territory said the initial result took just 15 minutes and was “confirmed quickly” by the Stanton Territorial Hospital lab.
