The Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus has made its way to the Northwest Territories, according to the NWT’s chief public health officer.
Dr. Kami Kandola made the announcement in a written statement Dec. 19. She said the origin of the virus in the territory has been traced to two flights, both on Dec. 13: rows 23-29 of a Westjet flight from Kelowna to Calgary; and rows 16-22 of a Westjet flight from Calgary to Yellowknife. Passengers in those affected rows have been ordered to isolate for ten days — or eight with a negative test on the eighth day — regardless of vaccination status, and to arrange for a laboratory test on Dec. 21, eight days after exposure.
Following the discovery of the variant, Kandola issued new guidelines for anyone who has been in contact with someone with Covid, regardless of vaccination status: These include isolating for ten days, or eight with a negative test; Getting PCR tests done on the fourth and eighth days after exposure; And following local public health advice on isolation if they resfuse testing or are part of a household with multiple confirmed COVID cases.
“It is expected that the Omicron variant will soon become the dominant COVID-19 strain in the NWT,” Kandola’s statement reads.
The statement also said that although there is not yet good data about the severity of Omicron infections, “The high transmissibility rate has a potential to overwhelm hospitals and health care services due to high numbers of cases.”