Moderna vaccine to arrive in N.L. next week, officials say

Newfoundland and Labrador is set to receive more than 2,000 doses of the just-approved Moderna vaccine next week, provincial health officials announced Wednesday afternoon.

On Wednesday morning,Health Canada approved the Moderna vaccine, and hours later the N.L.Department of Healthannounced its impending arrival in the province.

Canada's initial shipment of168,000 doses of the vaccine, which is easier to transport and store than the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine already being distributed, is set to arrive in Canada before the end of 2020, according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The N.L. Department of Health saidthe province is expecting to receive 2,400 doses next week. An additional 2,400 doses is expected during the week of Jan. 11.

"These shipments of the Moderna vaccine will be prioritized for residents in Labrador's remote and isolated Indigenous communities," the department said in a media release.

MHA Lisa Dempster said Tuesdaywork is happening to bring some of those to isolated Labrador communities.

Throughout January, the province is also expecting to receive additional doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Thoseshipmentswill be distributed to all regional health authorities, officials said.

In keeping with recommendations by the national advisory committee on immunization and the province'simmunization plan, the Pfizer shipments will be used forthe "identified priority groups" in each region.

By the end of Wednesday, about1,900 priority health-care workers in the Eastern Health region will have received their COVID-19 vaccination. The department said additional Pfizer vaccines arrived Tuesday and will be used forthesame health-care workers who are required to receive a second dose.

1 new case Wednesday

One new caseof COVID-19and seven new recoverieswererecorded in Newfoundland and Labrador earlier Wednesday.

The new case is in the Eastern Health region, a woman in her 40s who returned home from work in British Columbia, according to aDepartment of Health media release.

The seven recoveries include three people in the Eastern Health region, two in the Central Health region and twoin the Western Health region. There are 23 active cases in the province.

To date, 71,012 people have been tested for the virus, 232 of those in the last 24 hours.One person isin hospital due to the virus.

As a result of Wednesday's case,public health is asking passengers who travelled on Air Canada Flight 696 that departed Toronto on Dec. 15 and arrived in St. John's on Dec.16 to call 811 to arrange testing.

"Even if someone receives a negative test result, Public Health is encouraging all passengers to continue monitoring themselves for symptoms for a full 14 days from the time of their arrival in the province," theDepartment of Health media release reads.

The provincial government'spandemic updates have been suspended until sometime in early January, with the exact date not yet announced, unless a situation crops up that requires warrants it, according to the Health Department.

The department will continue to issue daily releases with updated numbers, except on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, with those holidays' testing numbers rolled into the updates on Dec. 27 and Jan. 2.

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