ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Premier Andrew Furey shared an optimistic outlook Friday on targets to get the province's population vaccinated.
By the end of this month, government officials expect to administer a first dosage of the COVID-19 vaccine to 80,000 residents. Furey said the hope now is to look after every resident 18 and over who wants to be vaccinated by the end of June.
This projection came on the same day the province announced a single new case of COVID-19. With nine recoveries announced, Newfoundland and Labrador was left with 113 active cases of COVID-19 as of Friday. Almost two weeks earlier, that figure had peaked at 434.
"This is a good news day, and everyone in our province should feel a little bit better about the brighter months to come,” Furey said during Friday’s media briefing.
“Before we get there, we all need to dig a little deeper and continue to follow those public health measures. Listen to the advice of (the chief medical officer of health) and her team. Be vigilant with our health measures. Be patient. And most importantly, be kind. It promises to be a great summer in Newfoundland and Labrador. Let's all keep working collectively towards that."
Speculating on summer
Health Minister Dr. John Haggie suggested it’s realistic to envision seeing the province enjoy the warmer months with fewer restrictions than there were in 2020. The popular May 24th weekend last year was off limits for campers, and a lot of businesses were not able to open properly until early June.
"I certainly recall last summer and the staycation season started late," Haggie said. "I think we may well be on track to start on time this year. I think it's too early to say what will happen in terms of interprovincial travel, because that's outside of our control, but I certainly think by the end of the summer, there will be some serious consideration of maybe going back to Alert Level 1, which we've never been to yet.
“But again, this is all speculative. We need to check on our surveillance and we need to have this trend, very optimistic as it is, maintained and roll out our vaccines."
Asymptomatic testing
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald shared news of a plan to further assess the spread of COVID-19 on the Avalon Peninsula. The region remains at Alert Level 5, the highest level. Fitzgerald said the recent low daily case count is promising.
"While we remain optimistic, it is important for us to have confidence that the risk of community spread is reduced so that we can begin easing of restrictions both on and off the Avalon," she said. "To help us in this regard, Eastern Health will be offering voluntary testing to individuals who are not experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
“We know that many individuals who tested positive during this outbreak had no symptoms at all. This surveillance will help us determine if there are any pockets of COVID-19 that have gone undetected. It will also help us in our decision to ease restrictions further."
Eastern Health is accepting appointments for testing centres in Mount Pearl, St. John's, Burin, Harbour Grace and Clarenville as part of this asymptomatic testing initiative. Fitzgerald said additional mobile testing clinics will be held in Trepassey, Bonavista, Placentia and downtown St. John's over the course of the next week. People wishing to get tested can complete an online assessment or call 811. People using the online tool who are asymptomatic need to specify they are not symptomatic, but also that they are requesting a test due to a public health advisory.
"While I know people take comfort in low case counts, I caution everyone not to let your guard down," Fitzgerald said. "We are simply not there yet. Everyone must continue to adhere to public health restrictions and recommendations according to your region of the province."
Vaccine updates
The province also announced the first shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine should arrive within a week. First responders and frontline essential workers will be prioritized for this vaccine, of which the province expects to receive 7,000 doses. This vaccine is specifically recommended for people under the age of 65.
Fitzgerald said she was pleased about Health Canada's approval of Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine, of which Canada is set to receive 10 million doses by September. She said it's too early for the province to know when it might expect to receive any shipments of the vaccine or how many doses it will get.
So far, almost 60,000 residents age 70 years and over have pre-registered to get vaccinated. Fitzgerald said this is an encouraging figure, as it accounts for nearly 80 per cent of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in that age bracket. Central Health and Western Health started to contact pre-registered residents Friday over the age of 85 to book appointments.
"Please be patient," she said. "It might take a couple of weeks for your (regional health authority) to get to your community. But if you've pre-registered, you are in queue."
Fitzgerald added she expects Eastern Health will begin contacting residents in that demographic who pre-registered "in the very near future as well."
