NWT moves to 1,197 active Covid-19 cases, one hospitalization

The Northwest Territories on Wednesday reported 1,197 active Covid-19 cases, an increase of 125 since Tuesday. The number of hospitalizations in the current outbreak remained at one.

Across the territory there were 150 new cases and 25 recoveries reported in the past day. Meanwhile, the NWT government declared localized outbreaks at three Yellowknife shelters.

Such has been the lightning pace of the Omicron variant’s spread that an increase of 125 active cases represented a slight slowing of the NWT’s outbreak compared to recent days.

Yellowknife moved from 599 active cases to 662, the Tłı̨chǫ from 176 cases to 217, the Beaufort Delta from 115 to 122, and the Sahtu from 54 to 65.

The Dehcho dropped from 53 to 52 active cases, Hay River moved from 41 to 42, and Fort Smith – where concerns have been raised that proof-of-vaccination policies are being ignored – rose from 34 to 37.

On its exposure notifications webpage, the territorial government declared outbreaks at the Yellowknife Women’s Centre from January 11 onward, the downtown sobering centre from January 7 onward, and the health authority’s shelter near the legislature from January 11 onward.

Workplace outbreaks have also been declared at Imperial Oil and the Ekati and Diavik diamond mines, though the territorial government said there was “little risk to the public” from those outbreaks.