COVID-19 outbreak declared at Whitehorse Correctional Centre

Contact tracing is underway after a COVID-19 outbreak was declared at the Whitehorse Correctional Centre.

There are three confirmed cases at the facility so far, according to a news release from the Yukon's acting chief medical officer of health.

Dana Clark-Moore, a spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Services, said in an email that the first confirmed case came last Friday and the three cases were among inmates and staff.

She said inmates who test positive for COVID-19 are being housed in the isolation unit away from the general population. 

"As client and staff safety are paramount, all Whitehorse Correctional Centre personnel who are in contact with clients, are equipped with full PPE," Clark-Moore wrote. 

"Nursing staff are visiting each inmate twice daily to assess for any symptomatic cases."

She added that the facility leadership has been working with Yukon Communicable Disease Control and the acting chief medical officer of health.

As well, all professional visits are currently suspended until all test results are returned and there has been further consultation between the respective offices, Clark-Moore wrote. This change will be reviewed on Wednesday the email says.

According to the Department of Justice, vaccination rates at the correctional centre change with admissions and releases.

In an email, spokesperson Fiona Azizaj wrote that 70 per cent of inmates had received at least one dose and 51 per cent were fully vaccinated as of last Friday.

Azizaj said all staff at the facility were required to have their first dose as of Nov. 30.

"The Department of Justice takes the health and safety of inmates and staff very seriously. We will continue to work with Yukon Communicable Disease Control and the Department of Health and Social Services to ensure that all inmates who want a vaccine, receive one," she said.

A statement from Dr. Catherine Elliott, acting chief public health officer, said her office is "working closely" with the facility to manage the outbreak.

"I am reassured by the rapid implementation of control measures at the centre, and am grateful to staff and inmates for their cooperation. We will learn more in the coming days as contact tracing continues," Elliott said.

In July, a Yukon Department of Justice spokesperson confirmed to CBC News that four people at the correctional centre had tested positive for COVID-19 since late June, during Yukon's first significant wave of of the pandemic.

As of Friday, there were 49 active cases in the territory.