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Greenland health authorities investigate four new COVID-19 cases in Sisimiut

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic @arctic_eq
Posted: Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 16:12
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A file photo of an Air Greenland plane approaching the town of Sisimiut in western Greenland. Four new COVID-19 cases were reported here on August 3. (Bob Strong/Reuters)

Greenland’s health authorities announced four new cases of COVID-19 in Sisimiut on Tuesday, saying they’re still investigating the possible source.

Two of the cases involved family members. The two others had no known contact with infected people.

One of the infected works in health care and had been fully vaccinated.

“A major investigation into contacts with the infected has been launched in an attempt to stop the outbreak in Sisimiut,” the government said in a news release on Wednesday, saying it was “…. very likely that there are several unknown infected,” in the city of 5,582 on Greenland’s west coast.

Also on Wednesday, Greenland health authorities said vaccinations would now be offered to children between the ages of 12 and 15.

“I hope that many children and parents choose to say yes to the vaccine,” Greenland’s Health Minister Kirsten L. Fencker said in a separate news release.

“More vaccinated people means less risk of spreading the infection, and will make it easier to fight Covid-19.”

As of Wednesday, Greenland was reporting 48 active cases in different communities spread across four different municipalities.

Write to Eilís at eilis.quinn@cbc.ca

Related stories from around the North:

Canada: ‘Sense of urgency’ to boost vaccine uptake before fall, says acting top doc in Canada’s Northwest Territories, CBC News

Finland: Santa joins former Eurovision winner Lordi at Lapland vaccination clinic to help boost jab uptake in Finland, Yle News

Greenland: Greenland reports eight new COVID-19 cases, Eye on the Arctic

United States: Cruise ship arrives in Skagway, Alaska after passenger flown home with COVID-19, CBC News

Greenland, Kirsten L. Fencker, Sisimiut

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic

Eilís Quinn is an award-winning journalist and manages Radio Canada International’s Eye on the Arctic news cooperation project. Eilís has reported from the Arctic regions of all eight circumpolar countries and has produced numerous documentary and multimedia series about climate change and the issues facing Indigenous peoples in the North.

Her investigative report "Death in the Arctic: A community grieves, a father fights for change," about the murder of Robert Adams, a 19-year-old Inuk man from Arctic Quebec, received the silver medal for “Best Investigative Article or Series” at the 2019 Canadian Online Publishing Awards. The project also received an honourable mention for excellence in reporting on trauma at the 2019 Dart Awards in New York City.

Her report “The Arctic Railway: Building a future or destroying a culture?” on the impact a multi-billion euro infrastructure project would have on Indigenous communities in Arctic Europe was a finalist at the 2019 Canadian Association of Journalists award in the online investigative category.

Her multimedia project on the health challenges in the Canadian Arctic, "Bridging the Divide," was a finalist at the 2012 Webby Awards.

Her work on climate change in the Arctic has also been featured on the TV science program Découverte, as well as Le Téléjournal, the French-Language CBC’s flagship news cast.

Eilís has worked for media organizations in Canada and the United States and as a TV host for the Discovery/BBC Worldwide series "Best in China."

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Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic

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