Canada’s chief public health officer says a COVID-19 outbreak gripping Saskatchewan’s far north is an area of concern. Dr. Theresa Tam says not only is the region remote, but it’s home to Indigenous communities.
Health officials in Saskatchewan say the novel coronavirus arrived in the Dene village of La Loche, 600 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon, last month via travel from a work camp in northern Alberta.
It has since spread through the community, making it the region in the province with the most active cases and triggering a lockdown on non-essential travel.
Two elders living in a long-term care facility in La Loche have died from complications related to COVID-19. [ Sign up for our Health IQ newsletter for the latest coronavirus