News

COVID-19 testing and contact tracing has allowed Northern Health to identify a recent event in Alberta where individuals may have been exposed to COVID-19.

Individuals who attended the It Is Time Canada event in Deadwood, Alberta, between July 30 and August 2, are asked to self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19,  and self-isolate and seek testing if they begin to exhibit symptoms. Contact tracing and testing has also identified that some individuals may be at risk of secondary transmission, from contact with cases related to attendance at the event.

Northern Health and the First Nations Health Authority continue to work with Council of the Haida Nation and municipal governments on Haida Gwaii, in response to the COVID-19 community outbreak declared on July 24th. To date, there have been a total of 26 lab-confirmed cases related to the outbreak; as of today, all but one of the cases are now considered recovered.

Northern Health public health staff continue to follow up with the remaining active case, and four close contacts, who continue to self-isolate at home and monitor for symptoms.

Ongoing contact tracing and testing for COVID-19 on Haida Gwaii has identified six additional lab-confirmed cases related to a community outbreak declared on July 24th. Northern Health public health staff are currently following up on a total of 20 cases; 13 are considered active, while seven individuals have recovered, at this time.

Ongoing contact tracing for COVID-19 in the Northern Health region has confirmed a total of 13 cases at this time on Haida Gwaii. All are local residents; 12 of the cases are considered active, and one has recovered.

All of the cases are epidemiologically linked; while the initial sources of transmission are still being investigated, it is believed that all cases are either residents who had recently travelled off-island or had exposure to other residents who had recently travelled off-island.

Racism has no place in our hospitals, our workplaces, or our society.

We were recently made aware of a report of an unacceptable, racist practice that may be occurring in emergency departments in B.C.  

If true, this activity would be evidence of systemic racism and discrimination, underscoring the significant health disparities Indigenous people in our province experience.

Northern Health is urging residents using or considering using drugs to reconsider or take steps to prevent overdose, in light of a recent increase in illicit Benzodiazepines or “Benzos” contaminating street drugs in the NH region.

Benzodiazepines, or benzos, are a type of medication that "depresses" or slows down your brain activity. When benzos are mixed with opioids (down) there is a higher risk of overdose. Individuals who have overdosed using drugs contaminated with benzos may be difficult to rouse and slow to respond to naloxone.

By Colleen Nyce - Northern Health Board Chair

With the resumption of non-urgent scheduled surgeries on May 18th, the surgery renewal announced by the Minister of Health on May 7th is well underway in Northern Health. Postponing surgeries in March was necessary to ensure hospitals had the capacity to respond to COVID-19, but as restrictions are being reduced we are rescheduling postponed surgeries.

To help save more lives and ensure people who use drugs alone have access to the supports they need, the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), in partnership with regional health authorities and Lifeguard Digital Health, has launched a new made-in-B.C. resource called the Lifeguard App.

The app is another tool in the province’s tool box to ensure a comprehensive response to the overdose crisis in British Columbia.