COVID-19 on P.E.I.: What's happening Thursday, April 8

Prince Edward Island recorded its 161st case of COVID-19 on Thursday, with news of a case linked to travel outside the Atlantic region. Routine testing led to the positive result, and the person in their 30s has been self-isolating. The Island now has five active cases.

The Charlottetown Airport has another flight coming in, starting Aug.2. PAL Airlines will offer a Charlottetown-Halifax service three times a week, saying it will be expanding to help smooth the region's post-pandemic recovery.

Continuing pandemic restrictions have quashed any hope of stagingAnne of Green Gables The Musicalat the Charlottetown Festival this summer. Organizers announced the Anneless 2021 lineup on Thursday.

Some seasonal residents and others with family connections on P.E.I. are thrilled at the prospect of coming to the Island this summer without the need to self-isolate for 14 days provided they have proof of vaccination.

In her weekly pandemic check-in with CBC News: Compass Thursday,Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrisonsaid any easing of public health restrictions for visitors coming to P.E.I. this summer will also apply to Islanders who wish to travel,but there is no timeline yet for those changes.

P.E.I. Premier Dennis King says the Atlantic bubble is still on trackto open April 19.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic region:

• New Brunswick reported seven new cases of COVID-19Thursday and has the most people in hospital since the pandemic was declared. Six of the new cases are in the Edmundston region. There are now 163 active cases in the province.
• Nova Scotia confirmed five new cases of COVID-19, three in Central Zone and two in Eastern, all are related to travel outside Atlantic Canada. Unrelated to the cases announced Thursday, one new B117 variantcase has been identified.
• Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting one new case of COVID-19, as a large shipment of vaccines makes its way into the hands of doctors and nurses across the province. The province has five active cases of COVID-19, and nobody is hospitalized.

Also in the news

• A national expert is expressing concern that P.E.I. has fallen behind national guidelines for school air quality meant to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
• Twelve pharmacies across P.E.I. willadminister the AstraZeneca-OxfordvaccinetoIslanders 55 and over.
• Dr. Trevor Jain of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital takes your questions on COVID-19, including on vaccine effectiveness,nasal swabs, and self-isolation.
• Officials with Red Shores are buckling in for another spring and summer of harness racing under COVID-19 restrictions.
• A P.E.I. woman who had an allergic reaction to her COVID-19 vaccine is still urging people to get it.
• Installers of pools and hot tubs are being kept busy during the pandemic.

TheseIslanders are currently eligible for a vaccine

• People over 60.
• People over the age of 55 may book for an AstraZeneca vaccine at a pharmacy.
• People providing health care services to the public includingoptometrists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and their support staff.
• Firefighters, police officers, power-line workers.
• Residents and staff of long-term care homes.
• Adults living in Indigenous communities.
• Residents and staff of shared living facilities.
• Truck drivers and other rotational workers.

Further resources

• Here isa chart of COVID-19 cases on P.E.I. since March 2020, and a timelineof 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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