A previously announced positive case of COVID-19 in P.E.I. has been confirmed to be the B117 variant of the disease.
The announcement comes as Newfoundland confirmed yesterday the variant — first identified in UK — was responsible for the recent outbreak in the province. P.E.I. is the last province in the country to confirm a case of the variant.
The discovery is not unexpected, said Dr. Morrison during the unscheduled briefing Saturday afternoon.
“The detection of the B117 variant is not a cause for alarm in P.E.I., however it is a warning signal that we should all pause and reflect on our own situation and ask ourselves are we being responsible for our actions?”
Late yesterday, the provincial lab and national microbiology lab confirmed a positive case announced on Feb. 4 was the B117 variant.
The case, a man in his 20s, had a recent history of international travel. He remains in self-isolation and has been followed daily by public health officials.
“This individual did exactly what was required and following arrival in P.E.I. immediately went into self-isolation at a location separate and apart from others.”
The man arrived on the Island on a Feb. 1 evening flight, Air Canada Flight AC 8302 from Montreal. Public health is following up with everyone on board, who are all following isolation protocols. Many have been tested this week.
Passengers already tested in the morning before the briefing had negative results and more were being tested in the afternoon.
Paramedics involved in testing of the man and screeners at the airport have also returned negative results.
Four passengers who have since left the province are being contacted and testing is being arranged for three additional individuals, said Morrison.
“At this point, there is no indication the variant strain of COVID-19 has spread within our province.”
While no changes in protocols were announced, variants of concern like B117 are worrisome because they are estimated to be between 30 – 80 percent more contagious than the original strain, which makes following existing protocols all the more important, said Morrison.
“If we let our guard down, we are inviting COVID-19 to gain the upper hand and further disrupt our families, our communities and our province.”
Even with the increased contagiousness, Morrison doesn’t expect to alter the province’s vaccine rollout plans.
“At this point in time, the mRNA vaccines look like they have good coverage against B117, or UK variant, and I do not anticipate any change."
Earlier in the week, Morrison said she believed the Atlantic Bubble could re-open as soon as April 1.
The existence of the new variant doesn’t necessarily change that, she said.
“Whether it’s variant or not, it’s really about making sure we have good control of the transmission of COVID-19 in our provinces.”
Given the success of the province’s procedures so far, Morrison stressed the importance of quarantining and isolating travelers, as well as early testing of Islanders with even mild COVID-19 symptoms.
When asked about the ability to test for COVID-19 variants without sending them to the national microbiology lab, Morrison said there have been talks with Nova Scotia to do some of the sequencing there in the future, which would mean a quicker turnaround time in identifying variants.
During the briefing, Morrison also confirmed doses of the Moderna vaccine originally meant for P.E.I. had been reduced, similarly to other provinces, but didn’t provide specific numbers.
She said she would provide more information in the scheduled briefing on Tuesday.
There are four active cases of COVID-19 in P.E.I. and the province has had 114 total cases since the pandemic began.
