2 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed on P.E.I.

Two more cases of COVID-19 on P.E.I. have been confirmed, says Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison.

Morrison made the announcement at her regular weekly briefing Tuesday morning. It is the fourth announcement of new cases in the last six days, and brings the total number of active cases to nine.

All of the cases are connected to international travel. They include five essential workers two men in their 20s, two in their 30s, and one woman in her 40s. Among the other four are two children and a woman in her 30s, all from the same family. The ninth case is a man in his late teens.

All the cases were detected while the people were self-isolating after arriving on P.E.I.

"I am reassured that our existing systems and protocols are effective in limiting transmission of COVID-19. I'm confident these cases have been contained," said Morrison.

"Given the nine new cases respected the need to self-isolate, and had very few contacts, the risk of transmission to Islanders remains low. The epidemiology in P.E.I. highlights that we continue to be at risk of importation of COVID-19. Specifically, there is risk of importation of the virus from other countries with many of our cases related to international travel."

P.E.I. has had a total of 53 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed. Given that the World Health Organization estimates 15 per cent of COVID-19 cases are severe and five per cent critical, Morrison said P.E.I. is very fortunate to have had no deaths and no hospitalizations from the pandemic so far.

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