17 being treated for COVID-19 in hospital as P.E.I. reports more cases, recoveries

There are now 17 people being treated in hospital for COVID-19 in P.E.I., including one person in intensive care, according to a news release the Chief Public Health Office issued late Thursday afternoon.

Three of these people were identified as part of new outbreak at the Prince County Hospital, the release said.

Apart from the 17 patients, there is one other person in hospital who is positive for COVID-19but is being treated for other medicalissues.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison also announced 247 new cases of COVID-19 as well as 225 recoveries as of 8 a.m. Thursday.

There are currently 2,662 active cases of COVID-19 on Prince Edward Island and there have been 7,059 cases since the pandemic began.

Over the last seven days, tests have confirmed an average of 242 new cases per day on the Island.

The province has suffered a total of nine deaths related to COVID-19 in the past two weeks, the first fatalities on P.E.I. since the pandemic began.

The province says an individual's death is determined to be related to COVID-19 if the attending physician believes COVID-19 is the cause of death or a contributing factor.