Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to take this opportunity to talk about this coronavirus, the COVID-19, and I want to advise the following. The health and social services system has been preparing for a potential NWT outbreak since early February, based on emerging information from the World Health Organization and the federal government. The Office of the Chief Public Health Officer has developed guidelines for Northwest Territories health professionals and has issued regular alerts so that the health and social services workforce is being kept informed. Clinical resources will continue to be developed to reflect the latest advice from the international and national infectious disease experts, with guidance from the Chief Public Health Officer and staff, and is being provided to the frontline daily.
The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority held a first staff information session last week, where the Chief Public Health Officer presented on the coronavirus. The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority has also been retraining staff on the use of personal protection equipment, hand hygiene, proper hand-washing techniques, and have provided education sheets on the COVID-19 over the last four weeks. Presently, the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority have scheduled weekly all-Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority staff calls to provide information. Should the frequency of these calls needs to be increased, that will be done. I do want to talk a little bit more about the process, if that is okay; I think this is important, and I just want to go further into detail. I apologize to the House.
The swab testing kit for coronavirus is a standard nasopharyngeal swab. The swab resembles a large Q-tip, that is used to swab the back of your throat. This is a standard item stocked in all of our facilities. I have been assured that the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services has also been delivering more swabs to all of the staffed health centres. Once a test is taken, it is sent to the provincial lab in Alberta, with a three-to-seven-day turnaround time for results, depending on your location.
The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority wants to ensure that all of their testing for COVID-19 are being directed to individuals who meet the screening criteria. The criteria for screening includes people returning from outside the Northwest Territories who develop symptoms after 14 days of recent travel. Symptoms include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. So, if residents have travelled and are developing symptoms, they are being asked to self-isolate, contact their local health centre or the public health unit for information on how to coordinate testing, and also refer to the department's frequently asked questions posted on the website along with the attached information sheets on self-monitoring and self-isolation for more information. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.