Tansi!

Update on Active Cases

There are 36 confirmed cases as of yesterday – this is more than our community has had during the entire pandemic. Unfortunately, not everyone has followed the rules. This means we are now all paying the price.

The Omicron variant is spreading rapidly throughout Manitoba including in the north. The numbers in Thompson have been doubling every couple of days. The number of people isolating in our community is growing.

WE MUST WORK TOGETHER URGENTLY TO AVOID FURTHER SPREAD. GET YOUR CHILDREN VACCINATED. GET YOUR BOOSTER SHOT. CALL PUBLIC HEALTH AT 204-484-2341 TO FIND OUT WHEN YOU CAN GET VACCINATED. REDUCE YOUR CONTACTS. WEAR A GOOD QUALITY MEDICAL MASK. WASH YOUR HANDS AND SANITIZE FREQUENTLY. DO NOT SHARE FOOD OR DRINKS.

Update on Vaccine Effectiveness and Omicron

The latest evidence shows two doses of the vaccine are only about 30 to 35% effective at preventing mild infection from Omicron compared to other variants. A Booster increases vaccine effectiveness to over 70%. Two doses still provide protection against severe illness and death but a booster provides even better protection.

People who are not fully vaccinated are:

  • 3X more likely to test positive for COVID-19
  • 9X more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19
  • 26X more likely to be admitted to ICU
  • 17X more likely to die

Very few children in our community are vaccinated and only about 50% of our fully vaccinated population have received their boosters. We still have about 8% of eligible people in our community who are unvaccinated. Children under the age of 5 are very vulnerable as they are not yet eligible for the vaccine.

Temporary Additional Restrictions Are Needed

Our health team is exhausted. We need to do our part to get this situation back under control. Contact tracing is continuing. If you have ANY cold or flu like symptoms, ISOLATE AWAY FROM YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS, call the Nursing Station and get tested. People with symptoms may initially test negative and still spread the virus so be very careful if you or anyone in your household has symptoms.

Rules in Effect Until at least January 16th

  • Everyone must continue to STAY AT HOME with your own household. People must only leave their house TO GET VACCINATED, PURCHASE ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES IF THEY ARE THE DESIGNATED PERSON OR FOR VERIFIED MEDICAL REASONS.
  • Absolutely no visiting between households is allowed. This means no sleepovers, extended family gatherings or meeting people even outside. This does not prevent people living in the same household from going outside to do outdoor activities with their own household as long as they are not in contact with any other household.
  • Everyone who is told to isolate by public health MUST remain in isolation until public health tells them they can leave their house or the isolation unit. Usually this will mean at least 10 days for anyone who is positive or is a contact of a positive case. THESE ISOLATION PERIODS COULD BE LONGER IF MORE PEOPLE IN THE HOUSEHOLD TEST POSITIVE. PUBLIC HEALTH WILL DECIDE IF PEOPLE CAN ISOLATE AT HOME OR MUST GO TO ONE OF THE ISOLATION UNITS.
  • The curfew from 9:00 pm to 7:00 am remains in effect and will be strictly enforced.
  • Each household can designate one person to shop for groceries and other critical supplies. If they go to Thompson they must be back at the check stop before 8:00 pm. Visiting anyone in Thompson is prohibited. Medical Masks need to be worn. The Cube Truck will be available to deliver supplies from Thompson.
  • Persons who do not live in the community will not be allowed to enter at this time. The only exceptions will be students ordinarily resident in the community and essential workers as determined by the Executive Director of Justice and Public Safety in consultation with the NCN Health Director or their designates.
  • Given the current high transmission, travel to southern Manitoba is NOT PERMITTED except for medical emergencies, appointments or treatment as verified by the Nurse in Charge.
  • Everyone returning to the community from southern Manitoba MUST isolate and be tested – call 431-354-0075 to make arrangements for rapid testing as soon as possible. All public health directions must be followed.
  • All NCN offices will be closed to the general public except for the Nursing Station, Wellness Centre public health and nursing services, and EMS – all non-essential staff must work from home.
  • ATEC, the Multi-Plex, the Wellness Centre fitness Centre, the VLT Centre, the Beer Vendor, and home-based businesses are closed until further notice.
  • The Arena will be open when required for social assistance to be issued.
  • The schools will be closed until Monday, January 17th.
  • No in-person church services are permitted.
  • The gas station will remain open subject to regular public health restrictions.

REMEMBER THAT FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE RULES WILL RESULT IN TICKETS AND FINES. DO YOUR PART TO PREVENT MORE ILLNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

Additional information will be provided as soon as contact tracing is completed. In the meantime, all other OIC provisions not addressed in this Bulletin remain in effect.
We will get through this by working together and looking after each other. Stay safe by encouraging everyone to follow the rules – your life and those of others will be impacted by the choices you make. Please choose wisely for the sake of all of us. Ekosani!