P.E.I. reports three new cases of COVID-19, seven active cases remain

HALIFAX -

Health officials in Prince Edward Island are reporting three new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, as the active number of cases in the province drops to seven.

In a live update on Tuesday, Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I. Chief Public Health Officer, announced two cases involving people in their 50s who had travelled outside of the province, and one case involving an individual in their 20s that remains under investigation.

Two cases are related to travel outside of the province, and one case is a close contact of a previously announced case. The province says contact tracing is complete, and the individuals are self-isolating.

There is a flight exposure notification related to the new cases:

• Air Canada flight 8332 that departed Toronto on Oct. 15 and arrived in Charlottetown on Oct. 16.

Anyone who travelled on this flight should monitor closely for symptoms of COVID-19 and if any develop, visit a drop-in testing clinic.

Morrison says more public exposure notifications may be posted later on Tuesday.

P.E.I. currently has seven active cases of COVID-19 and has had 315 positive cases since the pandemic began.

According to Morrison, between Jan. 1 and mid-October, 84 per cent of new cases on P.E.I. were in individuals who were not fully vaccinated.

“It is not surprising that we are experiencing break-through cases,” said Dr. Heather Morrison during Tuesday’s news update. “While the vaccine is very effective against the virus and the variants, it does not provide 100 per cent protection. Being fully vaccinated significantly lowers the risk of serious illness, hospitalization and death related to COVID-19.”

As of Oct. 16, a total of 260,024 doses of vaccine have been administered in P.E.I. So far, 92.7 per cent of the eligible population have received at least one dose and 86.7 per cent have received two doses. 

STILL NO DATE FOR STEP FIVE OF REOPENING

Also during Tuesday's news update, Morrison confirmed that there is still no date for the province to lift remaining public health measures at this time.

At a news update on Sept. 7, the province announced they would not be moving to the fifth and final phase of the province's 'Moving Forward' reopening plan on Sept. 12 as originally planned.

Morrison said provincial health officials continue to monitor the situation, but the province will remain in Step Four of the reopening for the time being, which includes increased border and travel measures including screening, testing and self-isolation and gathering limits of 100 people indoors and 200 people outdoors.

“Based on the epidemiology in Atlantic Canada and the country, these travel measures and other public health measures will remain in place as we continue to navigate the fourth wave,” said Morrison.