Let's have a parade: N.L. relaxes more COVID measures while reporting only 1 new case
The province has 35 active cases
Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting just one new case of COVID-19 on Wednesday, as the province unveils plans to move up second-dose vaccine appointments and announces more activities — like holding a parade — are now allowed.
The new case involves a person between 30 and 49 years old and is travel-related.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said the province's regional health authorities will be moving up second doses for everyone, with the province expecting to receive 183,000 more doses by the end of June.
"All second-dose appointments scheduled on or after Aug. 6 will be automatically cancelled, and starting Monday everyone who had a second-dose appointment scheduled on or after Aug. 6 will need to rebook an appointment for an earlier date," she said.
Fitzgerald said people must still ensure there is at least eight weeks between their first and second doses. She said some health authorities may have openings available now, but most appointments will be available for booking on Monday. Anyone looking for a second dose of the Moderna vaccine can book an appointment through a physician or pharmacy.
Fitzgerald said the National Advisory Committee on Immunization has determined that receiving a different vaccine for a second dose is safe and effective, which includes interchanging the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna doses. Based on data and vaccine science, she said, the shots are almost identical.
"The most important thing is to get your second dose as soon as possible. So don't delay receiving your second dose just to get the same vaccine you received for your first dose," she said.
"Based on our anticipated supply, we are aiming to have 15 to 20 per cent of our eligible population with two doses by the end of June, and 50 per cent of the eligible population vaccinated with two doses by the end of July."
Watch the full June 16 update:
Reports of heart inflammation in some people who have received second doses of mRNA vaccines have been cropping up in recent weeks. Fitzgerald said there is some concern about inflammation in heart tissue or the tissue surrounding the heart.
She said it appears to be happening in younger people, mostly males, and the vast majority of cases are mild, with people usually recovering quickly. Whether there is a connection between the vaccine and the inflammation is unknown right now, said Fitzgerald, but it appears to be more common than the blood clots associated with the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine.
"We need to know, is this a true signal or not?.… Then we have to say, 'Can we link it to the vaccine?' and then, 'Is there a plausible, biological mechanism by which the the vaccine could cause this?'"
Newfoundland and Labrador also reported seven new recoveries Wednesday, leaving the province with 35 active cases with borders set to slowly reopen next week.
There is no one in hospital due to COVID-19. A total of 155,424 people have been tested to date, including 362 since Tuesday's update.
On Tuesday, Newfoundland and Labrador entered the transition phase of its reopening plan, further easing some outdoor public health restrictions.
Community fireworks, parades and outdoor ceremonies are now permitted, Fitzgerald said, with physical distancing between individual groups. Outdoor formal gatherings can increase capacity to 150 people.
Phased reopening
As of 12:01 a.m. NT on June 23, the province will be open to Atlantic Canadians who are asymptomatic before travelling.
Fitzgerald said travellers will need to show identification at their point of entry to prove they reside within one of the Atlantic provinces, and can't have travelled outside Atlantic Canada or have had contact with someone who has COVID-19 within two weeks of departure.
Anyone from Atlantic Canada who has travelled to N.L. ahead of the change can leave isolation on June 23, Fitzgerald said.
"The Atlantic provinces have a similar epidemiology to ours, so we are comfortable easing this restriction next week," she said. "We continue to see steady and significant declines in new COVID cases across the country. There are less than 1,000 being reported daily in Canada, which is tremendous progress."
On July 1, Newfoundland and Labrador is aiming to lift its 15-month travel ban on residents from other parts of the country, permitting fully vaccinated travellers from across Canada to enter without testing or quarantine, and requiring visitors with one dose to self-isolate only until they produce a negative COVID-19 test.
Next Wednesday's reopening plan hasn't yet been dubbed an Atlantic "bubble," however, with only Nova Scotia reciprocating the arrangement.
Speaking with reporters Tuesday, Premier Andrew Furey jokingly described the new arrangement as the "Atlantic bubble-ish."
Prince Edward Island will open later this month to travellers from Newfoundland and Labrador who have one dose of vaccine, while New Brunswick hasn't announced whether it will participate.
Over 72 per cent of eligible residents in N.L. have received one dose of vaccine, and just over six per cent have received two doses.
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