First COVID-19 case reported in a Yukon long-term care facility

The staff at Copper Ridge Place responded appropriately to ensure the health and safety of other residents and staff was protected. They are no strangers to communicable diseases in congregate living spaces and they were able to quickly put in place infection control measures. The unit is unfortunately not allowing visitors right now but otherwise activity at Copper Ridge Place carries on.

During the long months of this pandemic we have been prepared for this and now we have experienced the first case of COVID-19 in a Yukon long-term care facility. The early recognition and appropriate response have minimized risk of transmission in continuing care. I am confident that the measures in place will minimize risk in continuing care. I wish this individual a rapid and complete recovery from their infection.

Our hospitals continue to operate in a heightened risk environment and COVID-19 is a threat our staff and physicians face every day. In the first year of the pandemic, we cared for fewer than 10 patients with COVID-19. Since June, we’ve cared for more than 60. The safety of our patients and our people remains our top priority, and we’ll continue to have strict safety measures in place – mandatory masking, hand hygiene, physical distancing, and screening for risk factors. Yukoners can be confident our hospitals continue to be safe places to seek care.