The first doses of the Moderna Covit-19 vaccine will arrive in Yukon, NWT

A report by Yukon Health Minister Pauline Frost on Monday evening also confirmed that Yukon had exported 7,200 doses.

“This is a turning point in Yukon’s struggle against Govt-19, which is a positive way to end 2020,” Frost said in the statement, adding that vaccinations with long-term care residents and staff will begin next week.

The shipment was part of Moderna’s first vaccine ship, which arrived in Canada on December 24.

The Northwest Territories, along with Yukon and Nunavut, were waiting to launch their vaccination programs due to the lack of the necessary health infrastructure to safely store the Pfizer-Bioentech vaccine.

Yukon’s vaccination strategy Identifies people who work and live in long-term care homes, group homes and shelters; Health workers; Senior citizens; And people living in rural and remote communities are the priority groups for vaccination.

The NWT has not released a comprehensive vaccination strategy, although it has indicated that residents will begin vaccinations in the second week of 2021 and that one will arrive in early January.

Earlier this month, NWT Chief Public Health Officer Dr Kami Kandola said the region’s strategy would prioritize those suffering from serious illness and those at high risk of bringing COVID – 19 back into the region. This strategy includes consulting with indigenous and community governments on how to prioritize criteria.

The Northwest Territories are one of the least affected in Canada by the COVID-19 epidemic, with a total of 24 confirmed cases. All but one have recovered.

A total of 60 confirmed cases of COVID-19 are present in the yukon, one death. None of those cases are currently active.

Areas have been identified as a priority due to the lack of remoteness and health infrastructure for vaccines. All three regions expect to have enough of the modern vaccine to vaccinate 75 percent of their adults by March 2021.