COVID-19 on P.E.I.: What's happening Friday, March 5

P.E.I.'s Chief Public Health Office announced one new case of COVID-19 on the Island Friday, a man in his 50s who is a close contact of a previously announced case.

After a year's delay due to the pandemic, the province is assuring Islanders it will be ready to roll out public pre-kindergarten on P.E.I. this September.

A statement Friday saysthe P.E.I. government is "pleasedto hear that Health Canada has granted authorization for the use of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine today." The province has not yet been given any details of the planned rollout ofthe single-dose vaccine.

This is in addition to theAstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine approved earlier this week for use in people under 65, and the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines that have been being administered for the past couple of months.

Summer camps are making plans to get back into operation this summer on P.E.I.

P.E.I.moved out of the red-level lockdown that was imposed in response to a COVID-19 outbreak that led to mass testing, and restaurants could reopendining areas.

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Michael Gardam explained why P.E.I. is extending the time between COVID-19 vaccine doses, in an interview with CBC News: Compass Thursday. Watch it here.

Liberal MLA Heath MacDonald pressed the government for details in the legislature Thursday for its plan tosupport the Island's tourism industry duringthe upcoming season.

Here are the current public health restrictions, and whatparents andstudents need to know as P.E.I. public schools open up again.

P.E.I. now has 24active cases out of a total of 139diagnosed.There have been no deaths or hospitalizations.

Also in the news

• The pandemic meant a tough year for P.E.I.'s Easter Seals Society, whichraised only a third of what it usually does.
• During a debate to recognize the contributions of young people during the pandemic, Social Development Minister Brad Trivers found himself under attack for comments about people in precarious employment.
• A Green MLAwants to know if government will reinstate a moratorium on student loan repayments.
• The owner of a Charlottetown restaurant says he will pay a $5,000 finefor aPublic Health Actinfraction.
• Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison announced a new schedule for vaccinations on the Island.

Further resources

• Here is a chart of COVID-19 cases on P.E.I. since March 2020, and a timeline of pandemic events.
• Here is a look at how coronavirus isspreading across Canada.

Reminder about symptoms

The symptoms of COVID-19 can include:

• Fever.
• Cough or worsening of a previous cough.
• Possible loss of taste and/or smell.
• Sore throat.
• New or worsening fatigue.
• Headache.
• Shortness of breath.
• Runny nose.

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