As vaccinations against Covid-19 began in the Northwest Territories, a non-resident worker in Yellowknife was diagnosed with the disease.
The territorial government confirmed the case in an advisory on Friday afternoon, saying there was no risk to the public. The patient, who is asymptomatic, was said to be doing well.
The person arrived in Yellowknife on a commercial flight. The NWT government said they weren’t “in the infectious period for Covid-19 transmission” at the time of that flight, and there had been “no risk to the travelling public.” As a result, details of the flight were not provided.
Their positive test came after “targeted screening” during their second week of isolation, the advisory stated.
“The individual followed all Covid-19 safety requirements and protocols at all times, including immediately self-isolating upon arrival in Yellowknife,” the territorial government added.
“The individual had no contacts during self-isolation prior to receiving a positive diagnosis.”
As they are a non-resident worker, their case does not count toward the NWT’s overall tally of 24 confirmed cases of Covid-19 to date.
Vaccination in the NWT began on New Year’s Eve at two long-term care homes, with rollout to a range of priority groups expected in the week beginning January 11.
