Some Islanders not following rules
P.E.I.’s chief public health officer said failure to self-isolate has led to cases in past month
Failure to follow public health rules has resulted in some positive COVID-19 cases, P.E.I.’s chief public health officer said Tuesday.
Dr. Heather Morrison used part of her weekly briefing to stress the importance of selfisolation for people who have travelled or been in contact with anyone who has tested positive.
“Individuals who are not following isolation (rules) have led to additional cases over the last month in this province, and this has put pressure on our system, including testing, contact tracing and followups, and it has, most importantly put others at risk,’’ Morrison said.
During the period Morrison refers to, there have been 19 positive cases of COVID19.
She said public health officials have been cracking down on offenders since public health restrictions were put in place last March. A total of 77 charges have been laid in that time against people not following the rules. There are three cases pending.
Morrison reminds Islanders they are legally obligated to co-operate with public health officials. That means providing complete information about their activities and close contacts.
“Failure to do so can result in a charge of obstructing a public health official.’’
When asked to characterize cases where people have failed to self-isolate when they should have, Morrison said it has been a combination of Islanders who have tried but failed to isolate and some who have just ignored the rules.
“I think it’s been a bit of both.’’
Morrison said sometimes people won’t look sick or feel sick, and that becomes a challenge when asking people to stay home.
“There have been times where … and the numbers are not large … someone may have not isolated the way it is required and may have put others at risk. Isolation
remains really important.
NEW CASES
Morrison also announced two new cases of COVID-19 in P.E.I. on Tuesday.
One is a woman in her 40s, who is a contact of a previous case.
The other one is a woman in her 20s who recently travelled outside Atlantic Canada.
Both are self-isolating, and contact tracing is underway.
There are currently seven active cases in P.E.I. Morrison said they are isolating at home, and public health is in contact with them daily.
That brings the provincial COVID-19 total to 110 cases since the pandemic began. There have been no hospitalizations or deaths.
CIRCUIT BREAKER
Premier Dennis King said the province is still looking to ease restrictions in the days
ahead, with an announcement possible before the end of the week.
However, these will be intra-provincial restrictions.
King said the province has pushed any consideration of re-entering the Atlantic bubble back to mid-February due to the rising number of cases in New Brunswick.
“We are in the very fortunate and enviable situation to be looking in the days ahead to see if a further slowing of restrictions (is possible) … providing we’re able to maintain our current level of trajectory,’’ King said.
New Brunswick is dealing with more than 300 active cases, 89 of them coming in
the past three days and 372 since Jan. 1.
VACCINATIONS
Morrison said the province is on track to vaccinate all front-line health-care workers.
As of Monday, 5,910 doses of the vaccine have been administered.
That includes 1,407 second doses. Overall, more than 4,500 Islanders have been vaccinated.
By the end of this week, everyone living and working in long-term care will have received their first dose and will be getting their second shots next week.
Reacting to media reports of delays with the Pfizer vaccine, Morrison said it will have a minimal impact in P.E.I.
The province won’t receive a shipment during the week of Jan. 25, which would have included 975 doses. However, P.E.I. will receive two shipments instead of one in midFebruary.
“It will not affect our objective to have everyone in longterm care and community care fully immunized by Feb. 16,’’ Morrison said.
Morrison said Health Canada has already entered into an agreement with a number of vaccine companies, other than Pfizer and Moderna, with the goal of securing more product in the months ahead.
There has been a lot of talk of the coronavirus mutating into different strains.
Responding to a question from The Guardian on that, Morrison said, “the vaccine we are using seems to be effective against the strains of virus that are circulating. They are looking at it closely and continue to monitor it’’.