Health committee  We have rapid testing in a number of communities and plan to roll it out to all of our communities, but it is still required to get confirmatory testing, which is available only in Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet.

Health committee  I would say it's by providing support and expertise in terms of surveillance and diagnostic capacity and physical resources, but being careful not to mandate activities in a very strict way and automatically tie them to funding. There have been examples in research in the U.S.

Health committee  It was recognized early on that there was a much higher burden of risk in Nunavut and in other remote indigenous communities. With the absence of other supports or reduced supports and services in other areas, increased access to vaccination is one way to offset that increased burden of risk.

Health committee  Having a structure in place that supports preparations and the ability to respond to the next outbreak in a more efficient manner would be extremely helpful; one that provides, for example, remote communities with greater access to public health labs and other diagnostic supports.

Health committee  Thank you for the opportunity to speak to this committee. I welcome the chance to share Nunavut's experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. In comparison with the rest of Canada, Nunavut's size, isolation and social determinants of health leave the territory at significantly higher risk of severe impact from infectious disease outbreaks.