Four new positive cases of COVID-19 in Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Heather Morrison, has confirmed four new positive cases of COVID-19. 

Three of the cases are linked to travel outside of Atlantic Canada – a woman in her 20s, a man in his 40s and a man in his 50s. The fourth case, a woman in her 50s, is a close contact of a previously reported case. All four individuals are self-isolating at home and are being followed by public health daily. Contact tracing is underway. The Chief Public Health Office has indicated that these four cases are unrelated to each other.

There are no public exposure locations related to these cases, however, there is an air travel notification related to one of the cases. The individual traveled on Air Canada Flight AC8302 from Montreal to Charlottetown on January 14. Anyone who was on this flight is asked to closely monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and visit a drop-in testing clinic if symptoms develop. 

Dr. Morrison is reminding all Islanders to get tested if they experience any symptoms of COVID-19, and self-isolate until the results come back. Islanders are also encouraged to download the free national COVID Alert app, which will to let them know if they have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Prince Edward Island currently has 10 active cases of COVID-19 and has had a total of 108 positive cases of COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. Information about the province’s COVID-19 cases is available online.

Backgrounder: 

The Chief Public Health Office continues to work closely with the federal government, provincial and territorial counterparts, government departments and Health PEI to monitor the pandemic situation and prepare for all COVID-19 related impacts to the province, including health, social and economic. The public health risk of COVID-19 is continually reassessed and Islanders will be updated as new information becomes available.

Everyone is encouraged to follow routine prevention measures:

• Maintain a distance of two meters from others as much as possible
• Washing hands frequently with soap and water
• Cough and sneeze into your elbow or a tissue
• Stay home if you are not feeling well
• Wear a mask in closed, indoor public spaces
• Limit touching your eyes, nose and mouth
• Keep your circle of contacts small
• Don’t share items like drinking glasses and water bottles
• Frequently clean surfaces like taps, doorknobs and countertops

Media Contact:
Samantha Hughes
Health and Wellness
shughes@gov.pe.ca