Despite most provinces reporting a downward trend in COVID-19 cases, the Northwest Territories continues to see a surge -- believed to be driven by the Omicron variant -- ranking it first in North America for cases per capita.
According to CTVNews.ca’s tracker, Northwest Territories ranks first when it comes to recent cases per capita, with 2,793 average daily cases per million residents -- an infection rate higher than any other jurisdiction in Canada or the United States.
When it comes to all-time peaks for Canada’s provinces and territories, Northwest Territories also tops the list for Canada at 23rd overall in terms of highest all-time average daily cases per million people.
As of Thursday afternoon, the territory reported 913 active cases of COVID-19, with 811 new cases reported in the last 7 days.
While other much larger regions in the country, such as Ontario, say the worst of the Omicron wave is behind them, Northwest Territories’ current cases are primarily driven by presumed Omicron cases.
According to the , 3,775 cases were identified as “presumed Omicron†in January. Another 1,458 cases have been labelled as such this month.
On Tuesday, the territory-wide Public Health Emergency was extended to March 1 on the advice of the territory’s chief public health officer.
The City of Yellowknife has also extended its state of emergency until March 2 to address the need for additional shelter space as a result of ongoing capacity limitations.
The U.S. state of Maine ranks second in recent cases per capita with 1,989 average daily cases per million residents. Prince Edward Island ranks third with 1,257.3 average daily cases per million residents.
