P.E.I. reports seven COVID-19 hospitalizations on Tuesday

FILE - James Robson, a biomedical engineering graduate student, holds a swab and specimen vial in the new COVID-19, on-campus testing lab, Thursday, July 23, 2020, at Boston University in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Prince Edward Island is reporting seven people in hospital with COVID-19 on Tuesday – a slight drop from Monday’s report of eight people in hospital.

Of those, three people are in hospital because of the virus, while four were hospitalized for other reasons but tested positive for COVID-19 either on admission or after being admitted.

CASE COUNT

The province says, as of Tuesday, there are 158 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed on the island. The cases are still under investigation.

There are 1,885 active cases of the virus on P.E.I. There have been 10,658 cases of COVID-19 reported since the pandemic began nearly two years ago.

The province has seen an average of 184 cases per day over the last seven days.

VACCINE UPDATE

As of Sunday, 97 per cent of residents over the age of 12 had received at least one dose of vaccine, and 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 PEI vaccination clinic.

OUTBREAKS

The outbreaks at the Prince County Hospital and Garden Home are now declared over.

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
  • 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 centre closed
  • 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 française websites. 

TESTING

Until further notice, testing at Health PEI 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 4 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.