Two presumed COVID-19 cases at Nunavut mine may be territory’s first infections

IQALUIT, Nunavut – Nunavut is reporting two presumptive cases of COVID-19 at an iron mine on the northern tip of Baffin Island.

The territory is the only jurisdiction in Canada without a confirmed case of the infection.

Two previous presumed positive cases turned out to be negative.

One of those was also at the Mary River mine.

The territory’s chief public health officer, Dr. Michael Patterson, says there is no evidence of transmission at the mine site.

He says the two people are asymptomatic and have been placed in isolation.

Additional swabs have been sent to a lab for confirmation and results are expected next week.