Active COVID-19 case count rises to 140 in N.W.T., school outbreak declared

The total number of active COVID-19 cases in the N.W.T. rose to 140 according to a Friday evening update from the territory's public health department, which also announced an outbreak at a Yellowknife school.

The number of active cases is up by 10 since Thursday.

The Office of the Chief Public Health Officer (OCPHO) said there are 16 new cases of the virus in the territory. The number of resolved cases has grown by five, from 227 to 232.

Public health said it had received "further information" which led to the removal of five previously identified probable cases.

Yellowknife's active case count has grown by 13 cases to 66 and the number of recoveries remains unchanged. In Norman Wells, four more people have recovered leaving a total of 21 active cases, while in Fort Good Hope there are no new recoveries and two more cases — for a total of 25 active cases.

There's also one new case in Tulita, for a total of six active cases, and one more resolved case in Hay River and Kátł'odeeche First Nation for a total of two active cases. 

Four of all the active cases, said the OCPHO, are out-of-territory workers.

Outbreak at Yellowknife high school

The OCPHO has declared an outbreak of COVID-19 at École St. Patrick High School in Yellowknife, where three more people have tested positive for COVID-19. 

All Grade 10 students who are not fully vaccinated are being told to isolate for 10 days and switch to remote learning. Known contacts who are vaccinated are allowed to continue attending classes but are being asked to arrange for testing. 

The OCPHO said another individual, who isn't linked to the cluster, has also tested positive at École Sir John Franklin School in Yellowknife. 

This comes after a positive case in a student at each school was reported on Wednesday.