Southend COVID-19 case: NITHA says community risk remains low
The presumptive COVID-19 case in the northern community of Southend will put a strain on health services there, but the Northern Inter Tribal Health Authority (NITHA) said plans were underway to bolster staffing numbers. Meanwhile, it said the risk to the community was still low.
On Saturday NITHA confirmed the presumptive case of a resident and local health care worker who had a recent history of travel in Nigeria, Germany and Alberta. The person, in their 30s, had developed symptoms, had self-isolated and is reported to be “well.”
Medical Health Officer Dr. Nnamdi Ndubuka told paNOW on Sunday colleagues who had been in contact with the positive case had now gone into self-isolation, although he could not confirm the numbers.
“The nurses that were in close contact with this particular case are currently self-isolating, so we are confident no other person within the health team in Southend has not taken any preventative measures for transmission,” he said. “Obviously when a health care worker is in self-isolation that definitely puts a strain on the nursing capacity, however efforts are underway to …be able to deploy additional staff.”