P.E.I. reports one new COVID-19 related death, six hospitalizations Wednesday

Pictured is a medical worker sealing a test tube with a COVID-19 nasal swab at a testing site in California, on December 2. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images/CNN)

Prince Edward Island is reporting one new COVID-19 related death, along with six hospitalizations Wednesday – a slight drop from Tuesday’s report of seven people in hospital.

The province says the individual who died was between the ages of 40 and 59.

Of those in hospital, three people were admitted because of COVID-19, while three other individuals were admitted for other reasons and were COVID-19 positive on admission or tested positive after being admitted.

REOPENING PLAN

Step one of P.E.I.’s Moving On plan begins Thursday.

The province says the following public health measures will be effective as of 12:01 a.m. Feb. 17:

• Personal gatherings may include up to 20 people;
• Organized gatherings may include up to 50 per cent capacity in venue, with space maximized to spread people out as much as possible (e.g. worship services, wedding ceremonies, funeral ceremonies, theatres, concerts and spectators at sporting events);
• Sport and recreational activities, with interaction within six feet, may include up to 50 participants each day (includes interprovincial games, but no large tournaments);
• Funeral receptions, wedding receptions, stand up receptions and dances may include up to 50 people;
• Restaurants, fitness facilities, retail and other venues may operate at 50 per cent capacity, with space maximized to spread people out as much as possible;
• In-room dining with maximum table size of 20 people and no restriction on closing time;
• PEI Vax Pass still in effect for discretionary activities;
• No isolation for fully vaccinated travelers arriving in PEI, with testing; and
• Press briefings and news release as needed; website will be updated three times a week.

View the full Moving On plan here.

CASE COUNT

The province says as of Wednesday morning there are 289 new cases of COVID-19 on the island. The new cases are still under investigation.

There are 2,025 active cases of COVID-19 on P.E.I. and there have been 10,947 cases of the virus since the pandemic began.

There have been an average of 198 cases per day over the last seven days.

“We continue to manage the Omicron wave in P.E.I. and we are better prepared to deal with COVID-19 than we were back in March of 2020. We have access to vaccines, testing, antiviral treatments and we know that public health measures work,” said Dr. Heather Morrison, the province's chief public health officer, in a news release Wednesday. “We are able to move to step one of the Moving On transition plan because Islanders have taken steps to protect themselves and others. We must continue to do our part, and follow public health measures, as we learn to live with COVID-19.”

VACCINE UPDATE

As of Sunday, 97 per cent of residents over the age of 12 had received at least one dose of vaccine, 93.7 per cent were fully vaccinated, while 68.6 per cent of children between the ages of five and 11 had had one dose of vaccine.

The province says almost 70,000 third doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.

Anyone 12 years of age or older can get their COVID-19 vaccination – first and second dose – at a Health PEI vaccination clinic or at one of the many partner pharmacies across the province.

Booster doses are also being offered at clinics and partner pharmacies to those 18 years of age and older who received their second dose five and a half months earlier. Island children between the ages of five and 11 can receive their COVID-19 vaccine at a Health P.E.I. vaccination clinic.

OUTBREAKS

Health P.E.I. has released the following update on the locations of current outbreaks in high-risk settings:

• Long Term Care Facilities(three facilities with outbreaks):
  • Andrews of Park West;
  • Clinton View Lodge; and
  • South Shore Villa.
• Community Care Facilities:
  • Corrigan Home
• Early Learning and Child Care Centres:
  • 24 centres with cases or outbreaks of COVID-19;
  • Eight centres open;
  • Five centres closed; and
  • 11 centres operating at a modified or reduced capacity.
• Hospitals:
  • Community Hospital O’Leary
• Other congregate settings:
  • Prince County Correctional Centre

Island schools with cases are listed on the Public Schools Branch  and Commission scolaire de langue françaisewebsites.

TESTING

Until further notice, testing at Health P.E.I. COVID-19 testing clinics will continue to be limited to the following:

• Symptomatic individuals
• Close contacts of positive cases
• Confirmatory tests for individuals who test preliminary positive with a rapid antigen test

People who do not have symptoms do not require testing, unless in one of the above categories. Those who seek testing related to travel (for example: day four tests) will be provided with at-home rapid antigen tests -- two tests to be taken 48 hours apart.

Islanders are urged to get tested if they experience any COVID-19 symptoms, even after a previous negative test, and to self-isolate until the results come back.

More information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic on Prince Edward Island can be found on the province’s website.