Yukon COVID-19 Update April 22-2020

Wednesday, 22 April 2020 17:29

Yukon's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Brendan Hanley reported that as of April 22nd, at 3 p.m. the count remains at 11 cases of COVID-19 in the territory.

Eight of the 11 people who have contracted COVID-19 in Yukon have recovered and all others are doing well at home.

Each case in Yukon so far can be traced to its origin and there continues to be no known community transmission in the territory.

Work is underway across Canada to plan a national, coordinated approach to how and when to gradually ease restrictions put in place in response to the pandemic. The slow transition to living longer-term with COVID-19 will be tailored to different contexts and implemented by each jurisdiction based on local circumstances.

Yukon's Chief Medical Officer of Health is a member of the federal, provincial and territorial Special Advisory Committee set up to guide this work and advise deputy ministers of health across the country on matters related to the pandemic.

The committee's work is based on data and evidence and includes developing criteria to assess readiness for loosening or altering public health measures and preparing a framework for guiding decisions.

People who smoke and vape should be aware they are at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 and of developing more severe health complications if they become ill. Smoking and vaping damage the lungs and weaken the immune system, making it harder to fight off COVID-19. This includes smoking cannabis as well as tobacco. Also, sharing cigarettes or vaping devices risks spreading COVID-19.

Anxiety is a normal reaction to uncertainty and situations that can be harmful. Children and youth struggling with living through a pandemic are encouraged to talk to adults they trust, call Kids Help Phone toll free at 1-800-668-6868 or visit www.kidshelpphone.ca.

Parents, care givers and other adults can support children and youth by responding to questions and researching answers to factual questions together, thinking of ways to help others and setting achievable goals.

The six steps to staying safe and stopping the spread of COVID-19 are: physical distancing; regular hand washing; staying home when sick; not gathering in groups of 10 or more; avoiding travel to communities and self-isolating when required.

Information about COVID-19 tests is published daily on Yukon.ca.

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