N.L.: 2021 Covid Cases - B1617 variant behind COVID outbreak in central Newfoundland,

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nl-covid-update-feb-9-1.5906769

COVID-19 count soars to 30 in N.L., as Fitzgerald orders 'circuit breaker' for St. John's region
2nd-highest single-day count of new cases in the province since the start of the pandemic
Malone Mullin ? CBC News ? Posted: Feb 09, 2021 11:42 AM NT | Last Updated: 43 minutes ago

Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical officer is implementing new restrictions for the St. John's area, after the province announced 30 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday.

That marked a significant jump from the 11 cases announced Monday, with Dr. Janice Fitzgerald acknowledging that a cluster akin to one seen last March is "the likely scenario" now playing out in metro St. John's.

All of Tuesday's cases are in the Eastern Health region. It's the second-highest single-day total since the start of the pandemic, just under the 32 cases announced March 25 during the province's first wave.

"We can now say with certainty that we have community transmission in the metro region, and we will inevitably see more cases in the coming days," Fitzgerald said at a media briefing Tuesday afternoon.

There are 57 active cases in the province, the highest total since April.

Back to bubbles

Effective midnight, the St. John's metro area will be under special health measures for the next two weeks, a so-called "circuit breaker" to try to prevent the virus's spread...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nl-covid-briefing-feb-11-1.5910350

100 new COVID-19 cases as N.L. grapples with spiralling outbreak
CBC News ? Posted: Feb 11, 2021 1:15 PM NT | Last Updated: 1 hour ago

Newfoundland and Labrador reported 100 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, 99 of them in the Eastern Health region.

The single outlying case is in the Western Health region. There is also one presumptive positive case.

Public health officials will hold a briefing on the COVID-19 situation at 3:30 p.m. NT today, in what has been a week of rising cases, increased restrictions and delays in the provincial election...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newf...wfoundland-labrador-briefing-feb-12-1.5912229

N.L. records 50 new COVID-19 cases, as visitor restrictions tighten for seniors' homes
Province finds 244 new cases in last 5 days
Malone Mullin ? CBC News ? Posted: Feb 12, 2021 1:46 PM NT | Last Updated: 37 minutes ago

Newfoundland and Labrador's top doctor announced 50 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, in a whirlwind week that has brought metro St. John's to a standstill.

Schools and non-essential businesses in the capital and surrounding municipalities were closed Thursday to regain control of this week's spiralling outbreak, forcing nearly half the province's population into its second lockdown since last March.

There are 260 active cases in the province, with 244 of them reported in the last five days. The province had 390 total cases of COVID-19 in 2020.

While Friday's report was exactly half of the 100 cases announced on Thursday, Health Minister John Haggie cautioned that the drop doesn't indicate the province is out of the woods.

"Simply because today's numbers are lower than yesterday's does not mean that anything could be or should be read into that," he said in Friday's briefing....

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/covid-late-briefing-feb-12-1.5913042

Mass COVID-19 outbreak due to coronavirus variant, N.L. under lockdown
Malone Mullin ? CBC News ? Posted: Feb 12, 2021 8:06 PM NT | Last Updated: 20 minutes ago

Newfoundland and Labrador is now battling a COVID-19 "variant of concern," responsible for this week's mass outbreak in the capital.

The variant, B117, was first discovered in the United Kingdom. It's believed to be more contagious than the original coronavirus strain.

"We know that if not controlled, it becomes a predominant strain within weeks of first appearance," said Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, the province's chief medical officer of health.

"This is concerning and serious. But we have the ability to overcome it."

Effective immediately, the entire province is at Alert Level 5, with all but essential businesses closed, Fitzgerald announced.

The decision expands previous measures implemented in the St. John's area this week, returning Newfoundland and Labrador to the same rules it followed for weeks last spring...

 

[sharon sanders]

bump this

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/covid-nl-feb-13-1.5913495


N.L. reports 26 new cases of COVID-19 as province focuses on protecting seniors from new variant
New variant spread was 'wildfire,' professor of immunology says
Mike Moore ? CBC News ? Posted: Feb 13, 2021 12:38 PM NT | Last Updated: 32 minutes ago

Newfoundland and Labrador reported 26 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday — which includes the nine cases announced Friday night.

The province also reported a single new recovery in the Western Health region, meaning there are 285 active cases province-wide.

In the last day, 1,618 people have been tested, for a total of 89,065 since the pandemic began.

On Friday night, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald told reporters the recent mass spread in cases stems from the coronavirus variant B117, forcing the province to move backward to Alert Level 5 of its pandemic response plan with sweeping restrictions, closures and lockdowns.

During Saturday's media availability, Fitzgerald said that while it's known the B117 variant is estimated to be 70 per cent more transmissible than the original strain, it is still unknown whether the variant causes more or less severe illness.

"While the vast majority of cases in our province have been mild or even have had no symptoms, this could be because most of the affected individuals are young," she said.

"Our greatest concern is how this variant could impact seniors, particularly those living in congregate living facilities."...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/covid-nl-feb-14-1.5913924

N.L. reports 11 new cases of COVID-19 as province grapples with increased testing demand
There are 296 active cases, 287 in Eastern Health region
CBC News ? Posted: Feb 14, 2021 2:17 PM NT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Newfoundland and Labrador has 11 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, as the province grapples with increased testing demand brought on by the large spike in infections this week.

Ten of Sunday's cases are located in the Eastern Health region, while one is located in Western Health and is related to travel from within Canada. This case is not connected to the outbreak in the St. John's metro area, a Department of Health spokesperson told CBC News.

There have been no new recoveries, meaning there are 296 active cases across the province, with 287 of those being in the Eastern Health region.

In total, 91,045 people have now been tested. That's an increase of 1,980 since Saturday's update...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nl-covid-update-feb-15-1.5914369

N.L. marks first hospitalization in new COVID-19 wave; 7 new cases confirmed
Unlinked transmission still being discovered, officials say
Stephanie Tobin ? CBC News ? Posted: Feb 15, 2021 9:56 AM NT | Last Updated: 1 hour ago

There are seven new confirmed positive cases and 21 presumptive positive cases in Newfoundland and Labrador, with further unlinked transmissions of the "complete game-changer" variant prompting a plea from the chief medical of officer of health for people to remain vigilant.

Six of the confirmed cases are in the Eastern Health region, while the seventh is travel-related and in the Western Health region.

Presumptive cases are those confirmed by rapid testing, and are treated the same as confirmed positive cases, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said.

One person is in hospital with the virus, Fitzgerald confirmed Monday afternoon, marking the first hospitalization since the outbreak of the coronavirus variant...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/covid-nl-feb-16-1.5915504

N.L. reports 7 new cases of COVID-19, as 2nd RCMP employee tests positive
With 8 new recoveries, N.L.'s active caseload drops to 297
CBC News ? Posted: Feb 16, 2021 2:13 PM NT | Last Updated: 16 minutes ago

Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting seven new cases of COVID-19, as hundreds more get tested in an effort by public health to track and minimize the outbreak of the variant that landed the province back in Alert Level 5.

Eight people have recovered since Monday, the Department of Health said in an update release on Tuesday, dropping the province's active caseload by one, to 297, with one person in hospital. It's the first day in more than a week that the active caseload has gone down.

The department also reported 25 new presumptive cases, all in the Eastern Health region and isolating themselves, bringing the total number of presumptive cases to 46, since none of the 21 presumptive cases announced Monday have been either confirmed or ruled out.

An additional 2,070 people — a new high — have been tested in the last 24 hours, according to the update.

All of Tuesday's new confirmed cases are in the Eastern Health region, and range from children to seniors. Five females and two males are affected.

There was no briefing with Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald Tuesday afternoon; instead, the update was issued in a media release...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nl-covid-update-feb-17-1.5916712

44 new COVID-19 cases in N.L. as testing numbers hit new record
Province has 338 active cases as 3 more people have recovered
Mike Moore ? CBC News ? Posted: Feb 17, 2021 11:58 AM NT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Newfoundland and Labrador has 44 new cases of COVID-19, all of which are under investigation, says the province's chief medical officer of health.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, at the Wednesday afternoon coronavirus briefing, said 42 of the new cases are in the Eastern Health region, and 14 of them are people under 20 years old.

The other two cases are in the Central Health region and are contacts of previous cases in the region, according to the Department of Health.

Fitzgerald said there are also 21 new presumptive positive cases in Eastern Health, while 10 of Wednesday's confirmed cases were previously presumptive cases. Presumptive cases are not included in the daily total of confirmed cases, or the total active caseload, until they are confirmed, but are treated the same as confirmed cases by public health officials, said Fitzgerald. There are 57 presumptive positive cases waiting for confirmation results...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/covid-nl-feb-18-1.5918556

48 new cases of COVID-19 in N.L. as testing numbers hit another high
3,122 tested in the last 24 hours
CBC News ? Posted: Feb 18, 2021 2:19 PM NT | Last Updated: 43 minutes ago
Latest

3,122 people tested in the last 24 hours
Six new presumptive positive cases in the Eastern Health and Labrador-Grenfell Health regions
17 of Thursday's new cases were previously presumptive cases
One additional hospitalization

Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting 48 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday as the province's regional health authorities continue to ramp up testing after the coronavirus variant B117 was discovered in the metro area.

All of the new cases are in the Eastern Health region.

There are also six new presumptive positive cases in the Eastern Health and Labrador-Grenfell Health regions since Wednesday. This is in addition to the 21 presumptive positive cases reported a day ago, and there are now 46 presumptive positive cases awaiting confirmation, according to a Department of Health media release.

Presumptive positive cases are not added to the province's total active case count until they are confirmed by the public health laboratory. The Health Department said 17 of Thursday's new cases were previously presumptive cases.

There have been five new recoveries in the Eastern Health region and one in the Central Health region. The province has 380 active cases, and there are two people in hospital, up from one on Wednesday.

In total, 3,122 people have been tested — for the fourth straight day, a new testing record — in the last 24 hours. The total since March is now 100,639.

By age, Thursday's cases look like this:

12 under 20 years old.
11 between 20 and 39 years old.
10 between 40 and 49 years old.
12 between 50 and 59 years old.
Three over 70 years old.

As of Wednesday 16,458 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in the province. Of those, 6,112 were second doses.

The province had received 13,650 Pfizer-BioNTech doses and 7,300 Moderna doses as of Wednesday...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nl-covid-feb-19-1.5919926

60 new COVID-19 cases in N.L., all in eastern Newfoundland
1 week since coronavirus variant B117 confirmed
CBC News ? Posted: Feb 19, 2021 10:33 AM NT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Newfoundland and Labrador has 60 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, as the province completes its first week into its highest level of public health restrictions.

All of Friday's new cases are located in the Eastern Health region, and all are under investigation, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said during Friday's live update.

There are nine more presumptive positive cases, while 34 of Friday's 60 new cases were previously presumptive positive cases.

Fitzgerald said there are 21 outstanding presumptive positive cases in total awaiting confirmation from a PCR test.

Friday also brought with it 22 new recoveries in the Eastern Health region and one in the Central Health region, meaning there are 471 active cases in the province.

Two people are in hospital.

This coming weekend marks two weeks since the most recent outbreak began, said Fitzgerald, adding there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of people coming out of their two-week isolation period. ..

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/covid-nl-feb-20-1.5921597

N.L. has 38 new cases of COVID-19, 21 new recoveries
All new cases and recoveries in Eastern Health region
CBC News ? Posted: Feb 20, 2021 2:36 PM NT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting 38 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, all within the Eastern Health region.

There are also three presumptive positive cases, also in the Eastern Health region, but 20 of Saturday's new confirmed cases are previously reported presumptive positive cases.

There are 434 active cases of COVID-19 in the province as 21 more people have recovered from the virus. All of Saturday's recoveries are in the Eastern Health region, according to a media release from the Department of Health.

More cases continue to be found in young people, as 14 of Saturday's cases were found in people under 20 years old....

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/covid-nl-feb-21-1.5922135

N.L. has 25 new cases of COVID-19, adds 29 new recoveries
One more person is now in hospital
CBC News ? Posted: Feb 21, 2021 2:35 PM NT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

There are 25 new cases of COVID-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador on Sunday, all within the Eastern Health region.

There is also one new presumptive positive case in the Labrador-Grenfell Health region. In a media release the Department of Health said this case is a person who is military personnel and has been in self-isolation since arrival.

Contact tracing is completed and there are no close contacts outside of the person's isolating work contacts, the health department said.

"Public health has determined there is no risk to the region as a result of this case," reads Sunday's media release.

Four of Sunday's 25 new confirmed cases are previous presumptive positive cases. There is one outstanding presumptive positive case awaiting confirmatory testing.

There have been 29 new recoveries in the Eastern Health region since Saturday's update, meaning there are 430 active cases in the province.

There are now three people in hospital due to COVID-19...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newf...9-newfoundland-labrador-february-22-1.5922802

14 new cases of COVID-19 in N.L., as active caseload drops in 'encouraging trend'
407 active cases, down from Sunday's 430
CBC News ? Posted: Feb 22, 2021 12:56 PM NT | Last Updated: 1 hour ago

Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting 14 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, with one of those in the Labrador-Grenfell Health Region.

That case is related to international travel, said Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, the chief medical officer of health, in a briefing Monday.

There are 407 active cases, with no new or outstanding presumptive cases — a drop from Sunday's active caseload of 430.

Five people are in hospital — an increase of two people since Sunday, and the highest total since late April — while 37 people have recovered since Sunday's update.

"We are beginning to see an encouraging trend," said Fitzgerald, with more recoveries than new infections...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newf...rador-february-23-50-new-recoveries-1.5924496

N.L. reports 15 new COVID-19 cases and record 50 new recoveries
Tuesday marks 2 weeks since 'circuit breaker' was enacted
CBC News ? Posted: Feb 23, 2021 2:23 PM NT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoThere are 15 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador on Tuesday, in addition to 50 new recoveries, the highest number of recoveries in a single day, topping the previous high of 37, which was set just the day before.

There are no new or outstanding presumptive positive cases.

The age breakdown of the new cases is:

2 under 20 years of age.
1 between 20-39 years of age.
8 between 40-49 years of age.
2 between 50-59 years of age.
1 between 60-69 years of age.
1 older than 70 years of age.

Tuesday's numbers bring the total number of active cases in the province to 372. Of those, 363 are in the Eastern Health region, four are in Central Health, four are in Western Health, and one is in Labrador-Grenfell Health.

Five people are in hospital. Of these patients, two are in intensive care, according to a media release issued Tuesday. At Monday's briefing, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald refused to say how many of the hospitalizations were in ICU, and it's unclear why the Health Department has changed its tune on releasing that information...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nl-covid-feb-24-1.5925883

N.L. reports 1st COVID-19 death after virus variant outbreak
Province reports 8 new cases Wednesday
Malone Mullin ? CBC News ? Posted: Feb 24, 2021 12:26 PM NT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting its fifth death due to COVID-19 since the pandemic hit the province last March.

It's the first death since the outbreak of the B117 variant of the virus began just over two weeks ago.

"Each life lost is a tragedy, as well as a stark reminder of why our way of life has changed," said Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, chief medical officer of health, Wednesday afternoon.

Citing privacy concerns, she did not disclose the age, sex or any underlying conditions of the person who died.

Public health officials also announced eight new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, all in the Eastern Health region. Officials also reported 34 recoveries, leaving 345 active cases.

"We are seeing our confirmed and active cases dropping, as well as the number of individuals tested," Fitzgerald said. "I caution everyone not to let the smaller case count lead to a false sense of security."

Since last March, 963 people have contracted COVID-19 throughout the province, with more than half of those cases — 555 — coming this month.

Fitzgerald warned that lifting Alert Level 5 restrictions may come with caveats...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/covid-19-february25-1.5927471

10 new cases of COVID-19 in N.L., as 20 people recover
335 active cases across province
CBC News ? Posted: Feb 25, 2021 2:14 PM NT | Last Updated: 33 minutes ago

Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting 10 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, all in the Eastern Health region.

There have also been 20 recoveries since Wednesday's update, leaving 335 active cases — a drop of nearly a hundred cases from Saturday's high of 434.

Ten people are now in hospital due to the virus — up from six on Wednesday — with five in intensive care.

There have been five deaths since the pandemic began, with the latest, a man over 70, succumbing to the virus on Wednesday.

As the active caseload falls, so have testing numbers. Health-care workers swabbed 489 people in the last 24 hours, a fraction of the tests conducted last week, when daily numbers topped 3,000...

 

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Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newf...eb-26-marine-atlantic-alert-level-5-1.5929014

4 new cases of COVID-19 in N.L., as regions outside Avalon move to Alert Level 4
CBC News ? Posted: Feb 26, 2021 11:20 AM NT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Newfoundland and Labrador's active COVID-19 caseload dropped again Friday, as the province reported 52 new recoveries and four new cases.

However, hospitalizations continue to rise, with 11 people now in hospital, up from 10 on Thursday.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, the chief medical officer of health, also moved regions outside the Avalon to Alert Level 4 restrictions, given low caseloads in those areas. All but five of the province's 287 active cases are in the Eastern Health region.

Some businesses may reopen at 50 per cent capacity, but that doesn't include bars, restaurants, cinemas or bingo halls. However, informal social gatherings are still prohibited across the province, with Fitgerald urging limited contact with others.

All regions outside the Avalon can move to Alert Level 3 in two weeks "if all goes well," Fitzgerald said.

In St. John's metro, stricter restrictions remain. Schools will stay online and non-essential businesses cannot open, as the virus variant continues to circulate, Fitzgerald said...

 

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Source: https://www.thetelegram.com/news/lo...d-to-covid-19-and-second-in-four-days-557647/

Newfoundland and Labrador has its sixth death related to COVID-19, and second in four days
The Telegram
Published: 30 minutes ago
Updated: 7 minutes ago

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. —

After going more than four months without anyone dying as a result of COVID-19, Newfoundland and Labrador has had two deaths related to the virus in the last four days.

The latest death — the sixth in the province since the start of the pandemic — was reported Saturday. As was the case with the individual who died with COVID on Wednesday, it was a man in the Eastern Health region over the age of 70.

The Department of Health and Community Services, which revealed the latest death in its Saturday COVID update, says it is sending its condolences to the individual’s family and asks everyone to respect the family’s privacy at this time.

The department says there are four new confirmed cases of COVID-19 since its Friday update, all in the Eastern health region.

One person is between 20 and 39, while the other three are between 40 and 49. Two are men and two are women.

Contact tracing by Public Health officials is underway and anyone considered a close contact has been advised to quarantine.

With 19 new recoveries, the number of active cases in N.L. is 271, with all but four in the Eastern region...