Nunavut Territory is struggling to contain the coronavirus as incidents increase: “tribulation is not new”-nationwide

IQALUIT — Then a little over two weeks Nunavut Territory Declared the first case of COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) (# If there is no character limit, add parentheses when it first appearsHowever, it is still unclear how 109 people were infected rapidly in the area.

About 39,000 people live in Nunavut Territory. Its 25 fly-in-only community spans three time zones.

In Arviat, on the west coast of Hudson Bay, where about 2,800 people live, there were 80 cases as of Saturday. Dr. Michael Patterson, Chief Public Health Officer in the area, states that it is the only place in the community where there is evidence of household-to-household transmission.

Although the Sanikiluaq case has recovered in the area reported on Saturday, there are 13 cases at nearby Rankin Inlet, 14 at Whale Cove, and 2 at Sanikiluaq. But all those cases are in the same household.

John Maine, who represents Albirex North and Whale Cove in the Nunavut Legislative Assembly, said it was “hard to see” that housing issues would not have contributed in any way to the rapid expansion of COVID-19. say.

“It’s a well-known fact that we’re in a housing crisis. Have we had housing problems for years? Not intended for multi-generational families, bedrooms living in one unit. It’s like people sleeping in the area, “says Maine.

But Maine says it’s not just housing that makes Nunavut Territory more vulnerable to COVID-19. Food insecurity, high unemployment and low levels of education are all factors, he says.

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“We know that there are all these things that are against us. These things now have to fight with COVID.”

Nunavut Housing Corporation figures show that 56 percent of Nunavut Inuit live in overcrowded homes. A recent report from Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. on Nunavut’s infrastructure gap also states that 41% of homes require major repairs.

2:18Coronavirus: Nunavut Territory reports 10 new COVID-19 cases

Winnipeg-based epidemiologist and health policy expert Cynthia Kerr is unaware that asymptomatic people are infected because of the long incubation period, usually 4-6 days. But he says it’s easy to spread the virus.

“All you need is one case,” she says. “If there are a lot of people nearby in the building, that’s exactly the risk factor for spread.”

Last week, the Nunavut Territory ordered a two-week blockade across its territory to control its spread. Looking at other countries, according to Kerr, it usually takes 18 or 19 days to see the effect of the blockade.

“It would be interesting to see if that is different in the Nunavut Territory,” she says.

The only hospital in the region, Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit, is more than 1,200 kilometers away from Arviat. There are 25 beds, but there is no intensive care unit. Rankin Inlet has a health center with 6 beds.

According to Patterson, if he needs to be hospitalized for COVID-19, he will be taken to Rankin Inlet or transferred to the south.

“If someone is in a situation that requires continuous water, oxygen, or life support, they obviously can’t stay in the health center and have to go to a southern hospital,” says Patterson.

Nuvanummiut, who usually require medical care not available in the area, are sent to Edmonton, Winnipeg, or Ottawa. However, as cases increased in southern Canada and hospitals in Manitoba were full, Patterson said his team was considering other options.

Last week, Patterson said the region’s capacity to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak has “expanded” and the federal government is ready to intervene if necessary.

According to Main, the proceedings in Arviat continue to grow, but Nunavummiut is confident that he will “overcome this” as before.

“The elders have shared the lessons of life with things in context. The younger generation needs to keep this in mind,” says Maine.

“The hardship is not new and it does not defeat us.”

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