N.L. reaches 2 weeks without a new case of COVID-19

Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new cases of COVID-19 Thursday making it two full weeks without a case.

As of Thursday, the province's caseload is 261. In total, 256 people haverecovered and there have been three deaths.There are two active cases, withone person in hospital due to the virus.

The latest numbers show 14,117 people have been tested, an increase of 247 since Wednesday.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, the province's chief medical officer of health, has stressed that more cases of COVID-19 in the province are likely.

At Wednesday's in-person briefing, she explainedwhat is considered an active case of the disease and when people have recovered.

"If they're 10 days post-diagnosis or post-symptom onset and they're symptom free, then we consider them recovered," she said.

But if a person with COVID-19 is admitted to hospital with more severe symptoms, that patient generally has a higher viral count and, in turn, a higher risk of spreading the disease.

In that case, Fitzgerald said, a patient must have two negative tests 24 hours apart and be asymptomatic before they'd be considered recovered and that can take time.

"There are some cases where it actually takes a long time for people to stop shedding the virus so they continue to have positive tests," Fitzgerald said.

"Across the country, we've had people up to eight, nine, 10 weeks before they actually stop shedding the virus and have those negative tests."

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