“The Yukon Territory’s COVID-19 outbreak climbed from 18 to 21 active cases on Monday. That’s despite nearly three-quarters of the territory’s adult population being fully vaccinated. And even though life in Skagway seems to be getting back to normal for most, the rising case count is upending daily life on the other side of the border. Whitehorse, Yukon’s largest city, sits about 110 miles north of Skagway. With the international border between Canada and the United States remaining closed to all but essential traffic, many people in the small border town of Skagway dream of visits to its closest neighbor accessible by road for groceries, hot springs and more.”

“However, this weekend Yukon’s COVID-19 cases surged. New cases were reported in Whitehorse as well as smaller communities like Burwash Landing and Carcross. Yukon Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Catherine Elliott briefed reporters on Monday about a new, more infectious strain of the coronavirus. ‘This is an outbreak of the gamma variant of COVID-19, which is a variant of concern that was first recognized in Japan, among people traveling from Brazil,’ Elliott said. Though most of the cases in Yukon involve high school students and unvaccinated adults, at least one fully vaccinated individual in Whitehorse was reported as infected. But Elliott said that’s rare. ‘The times we see those unusual rare breakthrough cases is prolonged close contact of the type you have in a household or with a sweetie or with your, you know, best friends,’ Elliott said. Additionally, Elliott confirmed that symptoms are less severe in fully vaccinated people, plus the risk of hospitalization and death is far lower” – Alaska Public Broadcasting.