COVID-19 cases are surging among those who aren't vaccinated, says Yukon's chief medical officer

The majority of recent COVID-19 cases in Yukon are in people who aren't vaccinated, according to the territory's chief medical officer of health.

Dr. Brendan Hanley told CBC Newsof the 132 people infected with the virus since the outbreak was officially declaredJune 13, 111 hadn't received a vaccine. That represents 84 per cent of the case count. The remaining cases are either those who are fully or partially vaccinated 11 and eight, respectively Hanley said.

The vaccine status of the two outstanding cases is unclear. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Services didn't immediately reply to requests for comment.

"The remarkable thing is how this is targeting unvaccinated people," Hanley said. "That's where we're seeing the illness."

Hanley said the active case count sits at 117, notingconfirmed cases in the territory overall are pegged at 212. The flare up, he said,is mostlyattributableto unvaccinatedyoung adults and youth, with most, if not all, cases positive for the Gamma (P.1) variant the variant officials say has a propensity to spread very quickly.

"This is an outbreak playing out in a highly vaccinated population," Hanley said. "So many of our people who would normally be susceptible to infection are protected and they are not getting the disease.

"The virus is looking for susceptible hosts and that's where it's finding [it.]"

'Silent stealth introduction'

Asked where the outbreak originated, Hanley said it can be linked to a "single introduction event."

This event set off a ripple effect, with those at gatherings then, too, becominginfected, he said. In terms of a timestamp, Hanley said the introduction could have occurred mid to late May.

"I think when people were hearing, you know, summer's in the air and then moving towards opening up, it was the message about continuing to adhere to public health measures I think that got forgotten," he said. "There were a lot of very close social gatherings, parties,and it just accelerated ... that spread until we began to see a couple of sick people.

"The actual introduction is like a silent stealth introduction."

Campsaren't cancelled

Summer camps for children are still permitted, so long as public health protocols are followed, Hanley said.

But children showing symptoms will not be allowed to attend.

"We need rigorous screening," Hanley said. "That means a conversation between parents and kids and then also between counselors and kids and making sure that [if] the kid has the sniffles, sorry, the kid can't attend camp.

"We need to continue just to be vigilant with what we already have in place."