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Multijurisdictional outbreak of COVID-19 associated with a wake/funeral event in a northern Saskatchewan First
Nnamdi Ndubuka1, Sabyasachi Gupta1, Rim Zayed2
1Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority Inc., Prince Albert, SK.
Insights
Sixty-eight COVID-19 cases were linked to Alberta and Saskatchewan events. Analysis supported multiple coronavirus disease 2019 introductions at a wake/funeral, highlighting the need for coordinated public health responses.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Infectious Disease Outbreak Analysis
- Public Health Surveillance
Background:
- A multijurisdictional outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) involved 68 laboratory-confirmed cases.
- Cases were linked to a hospital gathering in Alberta and a wake/funeral in northern Saskatchewan.
- The outbreak spanned from late May to early July 2020 across Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively describe the epidemiology of the COVID-19 outbreak.
- To delineate chains of transmission to test the hypothesis of multiple introductions at a wake/funeral event.
- To inform future outbreak management strategies.
Main Methods:
- Case investigation and contact tracing conducted by local public health authorities in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
- Centralized case analysis performed by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
- Epidemic curve and Gantt chart utilized to assess transmission dynamics and introduction hypotheses.
Main Results:
- Illness onset dates ranged from May 31 to July 1, 2020, with cases aged 2 to 80 years (median 43).
- Five individuals were hospitalized; no deaths were reported.
- Evidence supported the hypothesis of multiple COVID-19 introductions at the wake/funeral event.
Conclusions:
- Multijurisdictional outbreaks necessitate robust data sharing and coordination among health authorities.
- Centralized analysis is crucial for understanding outbreak origins and transmission chains.
- Effective outbreak management relies on inter-jurisdictional collaboration and timely data integration.
Background:
Sixty-eight laboratory-confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (12 in Alberta [AB], 56 in Saskatchewan [SK]) were linked to a gathering at a hospital in Alberta on June 1-4, 2020, and a wake/funeral in a First Nations community in northern Saskatchewan on June 9-11, 2020.
Objective:
The objectives were to provide a comprehensive description of the epidemiology of the outbreak and describe the chains of transmission to inform the hypothesis that there were multiple introductions of COVID-19 at the wake/funeral.
Methods:
Case investigation and contact tracing was conducted by local public health in AB and SK. The Public Health Agency of Canada conducted a centralized case analysis. An epidemic curve and a Gantt chart for period of communicability were created to support or refute whether there had been multiple introductions of COVID-19 at the wake/funeral.
Results:
Illness onset dates ranged from May 31 to July 1, 2020. Ages ranged from 2 to 80 years (median age=43 years). Five cases were hospitalized; there were no deaths. The available case exposure information supports the hypothesis that there had been multiple introductions of COVID-19 at the wake/funeral. Public health authorities in AB and SK declared the outbreak over on July 20, 2020; based on two incubation periods (i.e. 28 days) following the illness onset of the last primary case.
Conclusion:
During multijurisdictional outbreaks, data sharing, coordination across health authorities and centralized analysis is essential to understanding the events that lead to the outbreak and possible hypotheses around chains of transmission.
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