Both Southend COVID-19 cases recovered

Apr 4, 2020 | 12:00 PM

Nearly three weeks after the announcement of the first of what would later be two cases of COVID-19 in Southend, the Northern community is breathing a huge sigh of relief.

Both individuals who tested positive for the virus have recovered, with no further cases currently reported in the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation (PBCN) community.

“We are happy to announce that both cases have recovered,” Dr. Nnamdi Ndubuka, medical officer with the Northern Inter Tribal Health Authority, told paNOW. “And one of them that was initially hospitalized, has been discharged and is home as we speak.”

Healthcare workers who were required to self isolate as a result of exposure to their infected colleague have also all gone back to work, Ndubuka said.

Value of early detection

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PBCN Chief Peter Beatty said the containment of the virus in Southend is a huge relief.

“They did an outstanding job, the front-line staff, the nurses, the support staff and everyone else involved, including the community of course. They really got together and did all the appropriate protocols,” he said.

Beatty said Southend’s success shows that early detection is key to fighting the virus.

“If you know when it’s happening and you can do all the contact tracing and isolate those people, then it can be contained,” he explained.

Beatty said he’d like to see increased testing capacity in Northern communities and on-site test kits that can deliver quicker results.

“If we’re going to shut this down the testing is absolutely important,” he said.

Meanwhile Beatty emphasized Southend residents continue to be vigilant against the virus, practicing social distancing and frequent washing of hands. Access to the community is also restricted.

“We have to follow the advice of the experts if we’re going to flatten the curve,” he said.

–

alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom

by Alison Sandstrom

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Both Southend COVID-19 cases recovered

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