P.E.I.’s chief public health officer said Tuesday, March 2, all of the cases related to the recent COVID-19 outbreak appear to be linked, which would bode well for easing new pandemic restrictions.
At her weekly briefing on Tuesday, Dr. Heather Morrison said she will be making an announcement on Wednesday on the alert level red status, that involved a series of new pandemic restrictions, including school closures, implemented at midnight on Sunday.
The new measures were put in place for 72 hours to allow public health staff time to do more testing and contact tracing. This was following a cluster of 11 positive cases in the Summerside area and six in the Charlottetown area.
Since Saturday, more than 10,000 swabs were taken from individuals. On Monday alone, more than 3,300 swabs were taken at seven sites across the province. Morrison said those 10,000 swabs include symptomatic and asymptomatic people.
“It looks like we’ll be able to connect a lot of these cases to each other. We’ve tested a significant number of people . . . and despite all those additional tests we’re not getting a whole bunch of unlinked cases. That’s really key and important for us to know as we look forward and try to determine if there is any more widespread community transmission.’’
However, the chief public health officer cautioned that anything can change in a matter of hours.
New cases reported March 2
- P.E.I.: 4 cases
- Nova Scotia: 1 case
- New Brunswick: 4 cases
- Newfoundland and Labrador: 5 cases
During the briefing, Morrison reported there are four new cases of COVID-19 in P.E.I. One is a man in his 20s that is a close contact of a positive case and is related to the cluster of cases in Charlottetown. This person initially tested negative but developed symptoms and was positive on a subsequent test. The man has been isolating since his initial test.
Another case is also a man in his 20s. Morrison said the investigation and contact tracing is just beginning, but it is likely linked to travel.
The third and fourth cases are a man and a woman in their 20s who are connected to each other. Public health is investigating if these cases are related to the cluster of cases in Summerside and Charlottetown. Both are isolating with mild symptoms.
There are now 22 active cases in the province, bringing P.E.I.’s overall total cases of COVID-19 to 136 since the pandemic began.
Morrison added that two cases she announced on Feb. 24 — two women in the Charlottetown area who had travelled within Atlantic Canada — tested positive for the more infectious variant. This was confirmed by the national microbiology lab in Winnipeg, Man.
“Although not unexpected, the presence of a variant is a concern and a reminder that we are susceptible to variant strains,’’ Morrison said.
Twitter: @DveStewart
