Rise in COVID-19, whooping cough cases has P.E.I.'s top doctor 'concerned'

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison says she is "concerned" about the upcoming respiratory illness season given what's already circulating in P.E.I.

The province is currently experiencing an outbreak of pertussis, or whooping cough, and Morrison said COVID-19 has been more active across the province this summer than it was last year.

"This summer has been steady activity with some ... peaks and valleys, but no significant drops or extended periods of low activity," Morrison told CBC News.

"I think this is likely due to waning immunity and the circulation of [new COVID] variants that have greater transmissibility and immune evasion."

P.E.I. saw 116 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the latest two-week reporting period, July 28 to Aug. 24, and another 142 in the two weeks before that. Test positivity rates through July and August hovered just shy of 17 per cent.

"What we're seeing in the community now is similar to what we've been seeing all summer," Morrison said.  

"We know COVID is circulating."

No confirmed date for new vaccines

Although immunity might be waning, Morrison suggests that Islanders who are due for a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine should actually wait a few weeks. 

"There's not a COVID vaccine available right now that covers the circulating strains in the province," she said. "People have to wait for that new vaccine to come, which will give them much better coverage."

Health Canada has said it hopes to review the updated COVID-19 vaccines that target the subvariants currently circulating by "early autumn." Those vaccines have already been approved in the U.S.

"We are hoping certainly by the end of the month that we'll see both influenza vaccine as well as COVID vaccine arrive in the province," Morrison said. 

"We don't have a confirmed date, but as soon as we do, that distribution will happen to pharmacies, to our providers, to Public Health Nursing and to our health-care facilities."

Morrison said it's recommended in some cases that Islanders get their COVID and influenza vaccines together so they're immunized against both as early as possible.

"I think with the combination of all the circulating respiratory illnesses, I am concerned about what may lie ahead for the respiratory season in the fall and winter," she said.

"We know influenza season comes every single year, and what we can do to protect ourselves is to make sure that we get vaccinated."

In the meantime, Morrison said public health guidance remains the same: handwashing, taking precautions around people with compromised immune systems, and masking in crowded places if you wish.

"I actually think we have moved to a more endemic state," she said. "Although there's not a seasonality to it, I think we are all learning to live with the fact that COVID does circulate." 

Record number of pertussis cases

Another concern on the Chief Public Health Office's radar is the provincewide outbreak of whooping cough. Morrison said there have been 31 cases of pertussis since the end of July, coupled with 134 from an earlier outbreak in the spring for a total of 165 cases.

The previous record of confirmed cases of whooping cough in the province was 46 in 2017. An average year in P.E.I. brings fewer than three cases.

Morrison said Islanders who suspect they have whooping cough should see a health-care provider. Parents should also ensure their children are up to date with their routine immunizations, which include a pertussis vaccine.

"Because there will be a variety of respiratory illnesses circulating in our community this fall and winter, individuals who are sick with [a] fever should stay home for at least 24 hours after their fever resolves," Morrison said. 

Last week, New Brunswick's largest health authority said it would require medical-grade masks in patient-facing areas of hospitals because of rising rates of respiratory illnesses in that province.

Health P.E.I. told CBC News that it does not plan to follow suit. 

"We have not implemented mandatory masking in Health P.E.I. facilities, and there are no immediate plans to implement it," agency officials said in an email.

"However, we know that respiratory illnesses are circulating and can seriously affect both the health of individuals and the functioning of our health-care system. We encourage people to wear a mask in hospitals or health centres if they have any respiratory symptoms, and to ensure their vaccinations are up to date."