CHARLOTTETOWN -- Prince Edward Island's chief medical officer of health is reporting one new case of COVID-19 that she says is connected to a recent cluster of cases on the Island.
Dr. Heather Morrison said Thursday the latest case involves a man in his 20s who was identified by tracing the contacts of a group of four people who had tested positive over the weekend.
"He initially tested negative, but as per protocol, he needed to remain in self-isolation," she told reporters. "He developed symptoms yesterday and was retested and the positive result came in last evening."
Morrison said there are now six active cases on the Island, which has had a total of 33 COVID-19 cases and zero deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus.
One of the cases in the current cluster involves a woman who works at a seniors' residence in Charlottetown, but all staff, residents and visitors to the facility have so far tested negative. Morrison said a second round of tests began Wednesday and will be completed Friday.
"I know we'll all rest easier and feel better when we get the results of the second round of testing related to Whisperwood Villa," Morrison said.
The cluster of cases are tied to a U.S. traveller with a student visa to study in P.E.I. That person was turned back at the Confederation bridge and is now being quarantined in Nova Scotia.
The traveller infected a P.E.I. resident when they were both in Nova Scotia and the Islander infected others upon returning to the Island.
Morrison said all of the infected Islanders are recovering at home.
She said a new testing clinic will open Monday in the Borden area for truckers and other essential workers who make frequent trips outside the Atlantic provinces.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2020.
-- By Kevin Bissett in Fredericton.
