A sixth Yukoner has tested positive for COVID-19 but the territory is reporting that three of the previous cases are now classed as recovered.
Yukon’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Brendan Hanley made the announcements at a press conference on April 1. He said it was odd to call the announcement of yet another case good news, but felt this update contained positive news overall.
The sixth case is an individual from the Whitehorse area. No name was made public. The individual returned to the territory two weeks ago after travelling in Europe, self-isolated as ordered, and symptoms developed.
Hanley said this person is doing well. He added that the other five Yukoners who tested positive are also doing well.
Some family contacts of the new case are now self-isolating as a result of the positive test as a precautionary measure.
He said three of the previous cases have fully recovered from COVID-19 and completed their isolations.
“We’re pleased to be able to add the recovered category to our three-day-a-week update,” Hanley said.
Hanley also explained what “recovered” means. To be considered recovered the individual in question must be asymptomatic, have no more symptoms and have been in isolation a minimum of 14 days.
“Once they have cleared their symptoms, and finished their time in isolation, they are no longer infectious,” Hanley said.
He explained that the Yukon is in a good position with no cases outside of Whitehorse and everyone doing well.
The 14-day self-isolation order is for anyone who comes into the Yukon from the Outside, said Hanley explaining that workers must follow this order before they can go to the work camps to insure communities are not at risk of exposure to the virus. He said there are greeters at the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport to inform people and that COVID-19 information is on airport screens.
The Northwest Territories is also reporting a second case of COVID-19. The individual is in Inuvik and Hanley said this person flew to the community.
Flight information was not made public.
Hanley explained that this person only experienced symptoms five days after the flight.
“Even with a very conservative approach to flight contact tracing, regardless of the route of the flight, it would be irrelevant if that person flew through a Yukon route or an alternate route to get to Inuvik,” Hanley said.
Contact Gord Fortin at gord.fortin@yukon-news.com