Newfoundland sees cases decline as variant threat simmers some

Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting a sharp downturn in daily COVID-19 cases, with seven new ones confirmed Tuesday as fears over a rapidly spreading variant of the virus linger on the island and across Canada.

The new cases follow a total of 18 confirmed cases in the previous two days, a marked decline from a daily count that shot up to 100 late last week.

The province had been a model of low coronavirus numbers until the mutation first identified in the United Kingdom and known as the B.1.1.7 variant flared up suddenly over the past week and a half. That prompted lockdowns and caused the province’s chief electoral officers to delay a general election, with ballots now to be submitted entirely by post.

The tumult sparked by the outbreak brought criticism the all-mail-in format risks leaving voters behind, from residents of remote Labrador communities without internet access to anyone without a fixed address.

As Newfoundland shuts down, Ontario is opening back up.

The province lifted a stay-at-home order in most regions Tuesday, allowing restaurants, gyms and hair salons to unlock their doors in some areas, depending on the colour-coded restriction level.

The move comes days after health experts warned a third wave could be looming unless another lockdown goes into effect.

During a briefing on COVID-19 projections last week, Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, co-chair of Ontario’s science advisory group, said that while cases have been decreasing, more contagious variants are spreading and currently account for five to 10 per cent of all cases.

That will likely cause cases to increase again by late February, Brown said, which is why strong public health measures like a stay-home order and vaccinations of vulnerable groups are critical.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford defended ending the stay-home order, saying the government won’t hesitate to use an “emergency brake” to swiftly move regions back into lockdown if cases spike.

“We aren’t reopening the province,” Ford said Tuesday as Ontario’s legislature began its spring session.

“We’re transitioning. We’re transitioning into the framework that was laid out by the health team ... and we won’t hesitate to pull on the brakes at any given time.”

Ontario reported 904 new COVID19 cases Tuesday as well as 964 cases that were not reported on the Family Day holiday Monday.

The figures, while higher than daily counts during the first wave, continue a downward trend since mid-January, when daily new cases peaked at around 4,000.

Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to decline across the country, but that more transmissible variants pose a renewed threat.

“These variants have been smouldering in the background and gaining fuel that now threatens to flare up into a rapidly spreading blaze,” Tam said.

The B.1.1.7 variant, now present in all 10 provinces, is up to 540 cases. Another 33 cases of a variant first identified in South Africa and one case of the mutation first spotted in Brazil have been confirmed, she said.

Newfoundland stands as a “testament to how quickly thing can change” when highly contagious variants slip into a region, she said.

“This is a setback for sure, and no doubt we feel frustrated. But let’s not allow that feeling to detract from the progress we’ve made since the holidays.”

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said he and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have reached out with offers of support to Newfoundland Liberal leader and incumbent premier Andrew Furey.

Canada saw fewer than 3,050 new COVID-19 cases and 75 deaths reported daily on average over the past seven days, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Just over 2,700 patients were being treated in hospital daily, including 622 in critical care.