3 new travel-related COVID-19 cases reported in N.L., 1 day after Atlantic leaders pop bubble

Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting three new travel-related cases of COVID-19,all in the Eastern Health region, a day after Atlantic premiers delayed the opening date for a regional bubble agreement.

The province's top doctor announced the new cases, and some public health restriction tweaks, in a media briefing Wednesday afternoon.

Western Health is still investigatingthe source of a small cluster on Newfoundland's west coast, but Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, the province's chief medical officer of health, said a testing blitzin the region this week hasn't shown any indication of community transmission.

The region has nine of the province's 14 active cases, but all are epidemiologically linked, Fitzgerald said.

Noting she hasn't seencommunity spread since the province movedto Alert Level 2 last month, Fitzgerald also increased the size limit for formal gatheringsto 100 people.

"This is not for social or informal gatherings," she said, addingthose must still be limited to 20 close contacts per household.

The new 100-person limit applies to gatherings run by businesses and organizations. They include religious ceremonies, weddings and funerals. Applications to hold larger gatherings can be made to ServiceNL, she said.

"Returning to larger gatherings must be done in conjunction with strict adherence to public health requirements," she said. "This means no one should attend a gathering if they are unwell." There should also be two metres between guests and masks must be wornat all times, except when eating.

Watch the full April 14 briefing:

Fitzgerald is also eyeing a small outbreak in Fermont, Que., which shares a border with Labrador West.

"Public health assessment deems the risk to the community is low," Fitzgerald said Wednesday in a media briefing. As a precaution, the community is making testing available to anyone who visited bars and restaurants in Fermont between April 5 and April 9.

Essential workers entering the province for more than two days must now take a COVID-19 test when entering the province and self-isolate until health workers flag a negative result. Previously, essential workers could report to the workplace without isolating themselves, she said.

"Given the higher incidence of COVID-19 in other provinces, and the increase in variants of concern, the risk of COVID importation remains high."

Moving through Phase 2

As variants surge across the country, so too does vaccine availability, with a steady supply now streaming into Newfoundland and Labrador. By the end of this week, the Department of Health projects around 175,000 doses will have been received by the province since December.

Last Friday, Health Minister John Haggie announced more than 100,000 people had their first shot. By Tuesday,105,724 people had rolled up their sleeves for that initial dose.

The chief medical officer on Wednesday called the milestone "significant," and added it won't take another four months to double that number.

"We anticipate that we will be able to begin offering vaccine to those age 65 and older in the next two weeks," she said. People in community living settings and those deemed clinically extremely vulnerable will be included in this stage.

Health-care workers have methodsto identify who qualifies as vulnerable, Fitzgerald said, butfor other priority groups it's more difficult to procure eligibility proof. "The expectation is that people would be honest" when making appointments, she said.

As doctors and nurses inoculate a growing number of residents, Fitzgerald said those who've had one dose must continue to follow guidelines to prevent another wave.

"The future is promising, but how it unfolds is up to us," she said. "We are so close."

Labrador-Grenfell Health, slightly ahead of the pack compared with other health regions,said in a media release Wednesday its clinics are now open to all Phase 2 groups, plus people over the age of 55.

Haggie said Wednesday he expects 140,000 people to have had at least one dose of vaccine by the end of this week, as shipments continue to roll in.

"We're getting north of 29,000 vaccines per week, and come May, that number could theoretically double per week," Haggie said.

Bubble delayed

Fitzgerald's changes comeless than a day after the Atlantic provinces postponed from a bubble agreement set to begin Monday.

Late Tuesday, after a conference call between the four Atlantic leaders, the Council of Atlantic Premiers announced the date had been pushed back at least two weeks, tentatively to May 3.

"This delay will support a continued focus on addressing local outbreaks and the rollout of vaccination programs across the region," reads a statement released Tuesday evening.

Furey said Wednesday that save for one area of New Brunswick, infections have remained sparse across the Atlantic region, hence the two-week delay rather than a decision to scrap the plan altogether.

Newfoundland and Labrador has the second-smallest caseloadof the four provinces, with 14active infections as of Wednesday afternoon. Prince Edward Island had six as of Tuesday,while Nova Scotia and New Brunswick had54 and 145, respectively.

Meanwhile, rising caseloads and hospital admissions in Ontario have prompted not only fear of importation to Atlantic Canada, but potentially the need for assistance from the easterly provinces.

Furey said he spoke with Ontario Premier Doug Ford earlier Wednesday and offered "whatever assistance we could provide." He did not specify whether that could include vaccines or doctors when pressed by a reporter.

"I asked him to come together with his needs, and if we were able to meet any of those needs, recognizing our own limitations, then we'd certainly be willing," Furey said.

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