A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at a long-term care home in Whitehorse.
According to an Aug. 9 email, Dr. Sudit Ranade, the Yukon’s chief medical officer of health, determined the outbreak at the Thomson Centre on Aug. 5. It is the only ongoing outbreak in the territory.
Two other outbreaks, at Whistle Bend Place and the Whitehorse Correctional Centre, were declared over as of July 29 and Aug. 8 respectively.
A Yukon government spokesperson previously told the News about an outbreak at the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter located at 405 Alexander St.
In a follow-up email, Samantha Henney, COVID-19 communications manager for the Yukon’s department of Health and Social Services, said there was increased COVID-19 activity at the shelter located at 405 Alexander St. in Whitehorse, but it was not considered an outbreak.
READ MORE: COVID-19 outbreaks declared
In the latest email, Henney reiterated that long-term care cases and outbreaks are not being publicly announced as the Yukon government communicates routine outbreak management procedures directly with impacted Yukoners and their family, friends and loved ones.
“We are working closely with the chief medical officer of health and Yukon Communicable Disease Control to contain the outbreaks and ensure infection prevention,” reads the email.
The email indicates people should expect there to be a risk of contracting COVID-19 in all settings in the territory, not just outbreak zones.
“Vaccination is the best protection against COVID-19 and serious outcomes such as hospitalization and death,” Henney said.
Thirty people have died due to COVID-19 as of Aug. 11, according to the Yukon government’s online COVID-19 dashboard. There have been 156 hospitalizations of Yukon residents and 28 medevac cases outside of the Yukon since the beginning of the pandemic.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com