The COVID-19 test positivity rate in the Yukon has reached 43.7 per cent as of late Monday afternoon.
That means close to half of the people who have gone for lab-based PCR testing have tested positive for COVID-19 on a rolling 7-day average, according to the Yukon government’s online COVID-19 dashboard.
On Monday, the territory recorded 49 new COVID-19 cases, which is the highest daily case count since Jan. 19, around the time when case counts peaked during the winter wave.
Fourteen cases of COVID-19 have been identified among Dawson City residents, while Whitehorse residents account for 62 active cases.
The current tabulations are not an accurate reflection of the actual case numbers. The tallies only reflect lab-based PCR test results and do not include the results of those people who tested positive on rapid tests and private laboratory testing.
The News has requested comment from the government on the high test positivity rate and the relatively high number of cases identified on Monday.
“If current trends continue there will be no COVID-19 health measures in place for the public,” reads the government website on restrictions in place from April 4.
READ MORE: COVID-19 outbreak declared at Whitehorse hospital last Friday
Masks are currently required to be worn in schools, day cares, long-term care homes, health facilities, shelters, group homes, the correctional centre and hospitals. Proof of vaccination can be requested by businesses, organizations and venues to enter spaces.
Vaccination mandates continue to be in place for employees, contractors and volunteers working in high-risk settings.
READ MORE: Yukon’s mandatory mask, vaccination rules ending in public places March 18
The dashboard indicates the total number of cases confirmed among Yukon residents has hit 3,770, while 3,667 have recovered from the virus.
Twenty-four people have died due to COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.
The seven-day average for hospitalizations is zero. The total Yukon resident hospitalizations during the pandemic is 128. The total number of medevac cases outside Yukon is 23.
So far, 88 per cent of the Yukon population aged five and up has received one dose of a vaccine, 85 per cent have received two doses and 52 per cent have had their third dose, which includes boosters and those obtained as part of the immune-compromised series.
A government spokesperson confirmed Monday there is no COVID-19 press conference scheduled for this week.
“As we continue to monitor from Omicron wave and also lifting of public health measures, there will be fewer of these updates as we move forward,” Premier Sandy Silver said during the COVID-19 press conference held on March 16.
“I’m happy to report that health indicators continue to trend in the right direction. This doesn’t mean that we can forget about COVID-19, as you all know, but the risk has decreased in recent weeks and there is no longer a need for temporary health measures that have been put in place.”
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com