N.W.T. reports 2 new cases of COVID-19 in Fort Smith

Two cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Fort Smith, N.W.T., according to the territory's Office of the Chief Public Health Officer.

Both cases are related to domestic travel outside the Northwest Territories, and both are members of the same household, said Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Kami Kandola in a news release on Tuesday.

No risk to the public and no other contacts in the N.W.T. have been identified as both people followed appropriate self-isolation procedures, said Kandola.

The two people are self-isolating and doing well, she said.

It's unclear yet whether these cases are variants of concern. The territory sends samples of virus from every person diagnosed with COVID-19 to southern labs to test for variants, said Kandola in the release.

With rising transmission rates across Canada, the N.W.T. continues to discourage non-essential travel outside the territory.

There are significant outbreaks in areas where N.W.T. residents routinely travel, and Kandola urges travellers to check the COVID-19 situation in their destination before they leave.

There are links for information about various Canadian regions on the N.W.T. government's website, as well as on the federal Public Health Agency's website.

Territorial public health officials are set to update residents on Wednesday on changes to public health orders and discuss vaccine data.

On Monday, the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer said wastewater sampled in Yellowknife signalled traces of COVID-19, and said it was "confident" that there was at least one undetected case in the city.