After 3 days with no new COVID-19 cases, officials urge caution with optimism
'I cannot stress enough that we are not yet in the clear,' says chief medical officer of health
For the third day in a row, Newfoundland and Labrador has no new cases of COVID-19.
The province's total number of cases remains at 257 on Tuesday, with 194 people having recovered. The number of active cases has been steadily declining since April 6, when it was 192. Tuesday's active caseload — 60 — is the lowest it has been in 27 days.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, the province's chief medical officer of health, said six people are in hospital, two of them in intensive care.
Watch the full April 21 update:
There have been 6,431 people tested so far.
"No new cases to report over the last couple of days is indeed promising, but we must remain cautious with our optimism. I cannot stress enough that we are not yet in the clear," Fitzgerald said.
"Although we are not yet near the finish line, our slow and steady approach will ensure we win this race."
Fitzgerald said results of new tests are generally known within 24 hours.
Premier Dwight Ball said in light of Tuesday's announcement, and with a steady drop in known cases within the province, that both government and the public must stay the course.
"The only way that it travels is that it travels with you. So let's stop this thing dead in its tracks before it gets a chance once again to wreak havoc on our communities," Ball said.
Health Minister John Haggie said the recent stretch of low daily cases represents good, basic health resources within the province, and old-fashioned public health measures. "Shoe leather" contact tracing has been the go-to method of finding and identifying all of the individual people affected by COVID-19, he said. But, Haggie said the window is still open for a possible spike in new cases connected to Easter weekend gatherings.
A different challenge
The health minister said government faces a new challenge in the requests from the public and business owners to consider getting back to normal.
"You need to reset your expectations as to what normal will be," said Haggie.
"This virus, even under ideal circumstances, will be a feature of our lives for the next 18 months to two years. And that's under the best circumstances."
Haggie said the absolute earliest time the province could consider lifting any restrictions would be early May, possibly later, but the plan has to be in place and it will be harder to undo the public health emergency orders than it was to institute them. Prince Edward Island officials said Tuesday they are looking to early May for a possible restart.
"At the end of the day you're talking about behavioural change, as well as public health. And whatever we do it is highly likely that someone else will get COVID-19," he said. "There is no avenue out of this that is not risk free."
Haggie said relaxing any restrictions will encompass every government department and require a significant level of co-ordination. He added that government may notify the public within the next 24 hours of when the newest COVID-19 projection models will be available.
"Even under the best of circumstances, this virus will still affect people. People will still get sick, and there may yet be more serious illness and even fatalities as we go through this process of trying to define a new normal for Newfoundland and Labrador," he said.
"Even with a good plan, we will probably end up reinstating some of the measures that we relax. That is not a failure; that is an acknowledgement that the virus is now part our life for a little while."
When asked what the short-term and long-term measures will be moving forward, if and when restrictions begin to let up, Haggie said the province will look to other jurisdictions as part of its own decision-making.
He said some areas are Europe are experimenting with re-opening schools first, others are looking to re-open businesses.
"No one has been down this road in a scientific way yet, that we we can report," he said. "We know we have to have a plan. We know that plan has to be flexible."
Meanwhile, Haggie said vaccine work is continuing, but it will take at least months before substantive trials will be available in Canada.
Even so, the health minister was blunt about Newfoundland and Labrador's adult vaccination numbers, despite being among the best in Canada in terms of vaccinations for children.
"Everyone is hanging on for a vaccine. We have absolutely awful adult vaccination rates in this province," said Haggie.
"For adults, for vaccinations against the flu, we suck."
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