N.L. reports 3 more COVID-19 hospitalizations but no new deaths

There was not much movement on the COVID-19 front in Newfoundland and Labrador on Fridayas the province reported three more hospitalizations but no new fatalities as a result of the virus.

As of Friday,17 people are in hospital, five of them in critical care the same as on the last update, on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald saidtinfection rates are slowing down particularly in people 60 years old and up, who havebeen hit hardest byCOVID-19 in recent weeks.

She said hospital admissions because ofCOVID-19 are dropping as well due to severalfactors at work.

"We have a certain level of immunity," she said.

"We've been very fortunate here that people have gotten vaccinated and then a lot of people have gotten boosted as well."

The province reported 212 new cases since Wednesday's update: 104 on Thursday and 108 on Friday. But the data isn't necessarily a true indicator of the spread of COVID-19 since the Department of Health has restricted testing and is not releasing the number of tests completed.

Fitzgerald said she expects cases to continue to fall over the next couple of weeks and is hoping for a summer lull ahead of what could be a resurgence in the fall.

As of Friday, 92.4 per cent of the province's population over five years old is fully vaccinated.

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