COVID-19 on P.E.I.: What's happening Monday, April 26

Prince Edward Island's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison reported two new cases of COVID-19 on the Island Monday afternoon. 

Health PEI is once again posting emergency department wait times online and in Island hospitals, after pulling the site earlier in the pandemic last summer.

Companies on P.E.I. have been turning increasingly to the Canadian Mental Health Association for help to get their employees through the pandemic.

A 39-year-old Prince County man who was supposed to be in self-isolation under COVID-19 rules has been charged with failing to provide a breath sample after police in Kensington, P.E.I., suspected him of impaired driving.

After struggling through 2020, P.E.I. vehicle dealerships have seen a strong start to 2021, and trucks are leading the way.

A tree in downtown Charlottetown has become a place for people to share their grief and gratitude through what has been a difficult year for many.

Pregnant people on P.E.I. are now eligible to book vaccine appointments.

Truckers and rotational workers arriving on P.E.I. are being given access to COVID-19 tests that will give them results with two hours.

P.E.I. imposed new travel restrictions late Friday because of rising COVID-19 case numbers in the Atlantic region. People travelling within the Atlantic region on a same-day exemption from having to isolate for 14 days are the most affected.

With the pandemic taken into consideration, Maclean's has named Charlottetown as one of the top places to live in Canada.

P.E.I. currently has 11 active cases of COVID-19 and has had 177 positive cases since the pandemic began. There have been two hospitalizations and no deaths.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic region Monday:

• Nova Scotia reported 66 new cases Monday, which is a single-day record for the province. There are 323 active cases the province announced more restrictions beginning Tuesday.
• New Brunswick reported seven new cases. There are 122 active cases, including the variant first recorded in India.
• Newfoundland and Labrador confirmed four new cases and has 28 active cases. 

Also in the news

• P.E.I. is less than a week away from the start of another lobster season during the COVID-19 pandemic, and feeling much more comfortable about facing the challenges.
• The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is the only major junior league in the country still trying to complete its season. The Charlottetown Islanders play in that league.
• The stress of the pandemic may be complicating matters for some couples, but experts say there are ways to have productive conversations.

These Islanders are currently eligible for a vaccine

• People over 50.
• People 40 to 49, with birthdays in the months of January to March.
• Islanders over 16 with underlying medical conditions, and all eligible members of their household.
• Pregnant Islanders.
• Front-line workers over 16 who interact with the public and cannot work virtually.
• People providing health-care services to the public — including optometrists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists — and their support staff.
• Health-care workers not on the front line needed to maintain health-care system capacity
• 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.

You can find more information about how to get a vaccine here.

Further resources

• Here is a chart of COVID-19 cases on P.E.I. since March 2020, and a timeline of pandemic events.
• Here is a look at how coronavirus is spreading 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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