REPLAY: Two new COVID-19 cases announced in P.E.I. on Sept. 8

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — P.E.I.'s chief public health officer announced two new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total number of active cases in the province to nine.

One of the two cases was a man in his 30s, an essential worker who arrived after international travel. The other is a woman in her 30s, who is not an essential worker.

The woman is related to two children under the age to 10, who also tested positive for COVID-19, who were announced as new cases on Monday. The woman and the two children were described as part of the same household.

The nine new cases announced in the last week bring the total positive cases recorded in P.E.I. to 53 since March.

“Given the nine new cases respected the need to self-isolate and had very few contacts, the risk of transmission to Islanders remains low,” Dr. Heather Morrison said during a media briefing on Tuesday.

“The epidemiology in P.E.I. highlights that we continue to be at risk of importation of COVID-19.”

The majority of the nine cases announced over the last week have been linked to essential workers who travelled internationally. Morrison did not reveal the specific industry of these essential workers but said that none were health-care workers. She confirmed these workers travelled from a country that is not the United States.

The Guardian requested a list of essential workers currently allowed entry to P.E.I. from countries that are not the United States. A representative e-mailed a reply stating that the Province does not differentiate between essential workers entering from the US or other countries.

Travel information

The travel information related to the six recent positive COVID-19 cases were released Tuesday by the Chief Public Health Office. They all travelled to Prince Edward Island by air on the following flights (some travelled on a combination of flights):
· Aug. 25 – Air Canada Flight 8910 from Toronto to Moncton (then travelled by private passenger vehicle to Prince Edward Island).
· Aug. 27 – Air Canada Flight 314 from Vancouver to Montreal (arriving in Montreal on Aug. 28).
· Aug. 28 – Air Canada Flight 7468 from Montreal to Charlottetown.
· Aug. 28 – Air Canada Flight 8358 from Toronto to Charlottetown.

Of the nine cases announced since Sept. 3, Morrison said five were essential workers. Four were males, and one was female. All five were asymptomatic but tested positive as part of “routine public health follow-up,” Morrison said.

Morrison added test results for another essential worker are pending and were expected later Tuesday.

One case, announced on Sept. 4, is a teen who arrived on P.E.I. after international travel. Morrison said this individual has exhibited mild symptoms and is doing well.

The remaining three cases are the woman and the two young children. These three cases are not linked to the other essential workers.

During the briefing, Health P.E.I. chief of nursing Marion Dowling, said the province will be opening three new drop-in COVID-19 testing clinics on Wednesday in O’Leary, Borden-Carleton and in Montague. An additional drop-in testing site will be added at Slemon Park in Summerside, and an existing drop-in clinic will remain in the Eastlink Centre parking lot.

Dowling said the drop-in clinics will provide testing on a first-come, first-serve basis with no appointments necessary.

“The new clinics that are opening this week for drop-in testing will help provide increased access as-needed for school-age children, in particular, to help support the re-opening of our schools,” Dowling said.

Children and adults with COVID-19 like symptoms can be tested at these clinics. Appointments for testing can also be set-up at the Charlottetown and Summerside clinics by calling 811.

Both Morrison and Dowling both said they are personally happy to see Island schools reopen this week. Morrison said P.E.I. is in a “good position” to send children back for in-class, full-time learning, given that there has been no community spread recorded to date and no COVID-19 cases requiring hospitalization.

Morrison said only eight per cent of COVID-19 cases in Canada have been children,

“The virus is unlikely to be spread from young child to young child. It’s more likely, in the school setting, it would be more likely from a contact or a parent,” she said.