Canada’s Yukon Territory continues to see COVID-19 case rates climb during what officials are now calling the territory’s first wave of the pandemic. Officials announced an additional 44 cases over the weekend bringing the pandemic totals to over 300. KHNS’ Mike Swasey spoke with CBC’s Yukon Territory correspondent Jackie Hong on Monday for a closer look into the outbreak on the other side of the border.
Hong – Part of the reason why this is kind of so shocking to so many Yukoners is because we only had about 100 cases up until the start of this month. So more than two-thirds of our total case count since March of 2020 has happened within this one-month span, since about June 4.
Swasey – So it started with high school graduation parties. But are we seeing community spread now?
Hong – I believe so. I think the cases that were related to the high school parties should have petered out by now. So far the cases they’ve been able to confirm all have been the P1 or Gamma variant. And one of the things about it is that it is believed to be more infectious and cause more severe disease, especially in younger people versus the original strain of COVID.
Swasey – And how many of the people that have gotten sick, have been fully vaccinated?
Hong – I don’t have the exact numbers off the top of my head, but it’s only a handful. One of the things that we’ve been hearing over the past couple of weeks, over and over and over again, is that this outbreak and this variant is targeting unvaccinated Yukoners.
Now there have been like I said, a handful of Yukoners, who have been either fully vaccinated or partially vaccinated who have been infected. But what we’re hearing is that they’re getting much less sick, they’re getting milder symptoms, and they’re able to recover at home. And again, the vast majority of cases are unvaccinated Yukoners.
Swasey – So this is spreading heavily amongst kids. And there are reports coming out that Yukon daycare facilities are being hit hard.
Hong – I know of one daycare where there have been at least four confirmed COVID cases as of last week. So what’s kind of happening now is that the Chief Medical Officer of Health is recommending that parents if they can, keep their kids home from daycare for two weeks just to kind of try and break that chain of infection.
Bove Island, Carcross Yukon Territory of Canada
Swasey – The emergency shelter is also seeing an outbreak.
Hong – What we’ve seen there as of Sunday, the Chief Medical Officer of Health declared an outbreak because there had been 15 confirmed cases amongst staff and residents. So the shelter does have overnight beds and it also offers meal services, basic medical care, and counseling support for the vulnerable population. Which is why news of this outbreak there is so alarming. Because you’re dealing with folks who don’t necessarily have a lot of resources and, like I mentioned, are the most vulnerable in our community.
Swasey – Okay, how are businesses coping with this wave?
Hong – It’s been interesting because here in Whitehorse, and I guess the Yukon in general, we’ve been at 100% restaurant capacity for a while now. You’ve seen businesses reminding people to wear masks, sanitize and remain six feet away. But I haven’t actually seen any close in the wake of this outbreak.
Swasey – And finally, is there any word on the border opening?
Hong – I’m not sure about the border. But we did hear from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau not too long ago that beginning July 5, fully vaccinated Canadians will not need to isolate themselves after returning from international travel. I’m not sure what that means for recreational travel back and forth between the border but apparently, July 5 is when people who have both doses of an approved vaccine will not need to self-isolate.
Swasey – Jackie, thank you for your perspective, I appreciate it.
Hong – My pleasure.
