Public Advisory: Update on COVID-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador

  • Health and Community Services

December 31, 2021

Today (Friday, December 31), Newfoundland and Labrador has 431 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the last media update on December 30. Contact tracing by Public Health is underway and anyone considered a close contact has been advised regarding quarantine according to current guidelines.

In the Eastern Health region:

  • Thirty-six under 20 years of age;
  • Ninety-eight between 20-39 years of age;
  • Thirty-nine between 40-49 years of age;
  • Forty-four between 50-59 years of age;
  • Thirty-five between 60-69 years of age; and
  • Twenty 70 years of age and above.

There are 140 females and 132 males. All are under investigation.

In the Central Health region:

  • Ten under 20 years of age;
  • Eight between 20-39 years of age;
  • Two between 40-49 years of age;
  • Ten between 50-59 years of age;
  • Three between 60-69 years of age; and
  • Four 70 years of age and above.

There are 18 females and 19 males. All are under investigation.

In the Western Health region:

  • Two under 20 years of age;
  • Nine between 20-39 years of age;
  • Seven between 40-49 years of age;
  • Four between 50-59 years of age;
  • One between 60-69 years of age; and
  • Two 70 years of age and above.

There are 17 females and eight males. All are under investigation.

In the Labrador-Grenfell Health region:

  • Nineteen under 20 years of age;
  • Forty-one between 20-39 years of age;
  • Fourteen between 40-49 years of age;
  • Fourteen between 50-59 years of age;
  • Three between 60-69 years of age; and
  • One 70 years of age and above.

There are 47 females and 45 males. All are under investigation.

There are also five cases that are the result of testing completed by a private lab outside of a Regional Health Authority:

  • Two between 20-39 years of age;
  • One between 60-69 years of age; and
  • Two 70 years of age and above.

There is one female and four males. All are under investigation.

Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting its nineteenth death from COVID-19. The individual, a male from the Eastern Health region, was between 60-69 years of age. The department is sending its condolences to this individual’s family and asks everyone to respect the family’s privacy at this time.

There have been 113 new recoveries – 74 in the Eastern Health region, 19 in the Central Health region, 19 in the Western Health region and one in the Labrador-Grenfell Health region, and 2,384 people have recovered. There is one person in hospital because of COVID-19.

There are currently 1,746 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. The regional breakdown of the active cases is as follows:

  • Eastern Health – 1,181
  • Central Health – 193
  • Labrador-Grenfell Health – 194
  • Western Health – 172
  • Unknown – 6

To date, 392,605 tests have been administered. People can check their COVID-19 test results online here.

Effective today, Public Health will no longer be issuing potential COVID-19 exposures on a regular basis. Exposures will be issued only in exceptional circumstances, such as high-risk exposures that could lead to a super spreader event. When the province had lower rates of transmission, potential COVID-19 exposures were issued out of an abundance of caution to assist with identifying whom someone may have caught the illness from, and whom they may have been in contact with while they were infectious. As there is widespread transmission of COVID-19 in the province, testing efforts must be focused on close contacts of cases and people experiencing symptoms.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include:

  • Fever, including chills or sweats;
  • A new or worsening cough;
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing;
  • Runny, stuffy or congested nose;
  • Sore throat or difficulty swallowing;
  • Headache;
  • Loss of sense of smell or taste;
  • Unusual fatigue or lack of energy;
  • New onset of muscle aches;
  • Loss of appetite;
  • Vomiting or diarrhea for more than 24 hours; and,
  • Small red or purple spots on hands and/or feet.

Anyone in the province, regardless of their vaccination status, should get tested if they are experiencing even just one of the symptoms of COVID-19 listed above. Do not assume it is just a cold. There has been community spread and outbreaks across the country because people were mildly symptomatic and did not get tested or limit their activity. It is essential to find any cases of COVID-19, so that Public Health can do their job effectively and contain the spread of the virus as much as possible.

Due to the extremely high volume of testing currently underway in all regions, there may be some delay in contacting individuals testing positive with COVID-19. Positive test results are now provided through the online Patient Results Portal. Patients testing positive will still be contacted by a representative from Public Health, but it may take up to 72 hours. If you see a positive test result, guidance can be found here.

In an effort to expedite contact notification, people who test positive for COVID-19 will be given a letter to send to their close contacts. This letter will include detailed instructions on self-isolation and testing requirements. If you are unsure of your requirements, our Self-Isolation Assessment Tool can help you determine if you need to self-isolate. However, you should always follow the advice given to you when contacted by public health officials.

Wearing a face mask that covers the nose and mouth is required in public indoor settings for everyone ages five and over. Information on the Public Health guidance on masks can be found at www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/public-health-guidance/guidance/masks/. In places where masks are not required, wearing a mask is strongly recommended, even when seated and/or physically distanced from other people.

All travellers coming to Newfoundland and Labrador, including Newfoundland and Labrador residents, are required to fill out a travel form found here. The travel form can be completed up to 30 days prior to the travel date. Please submit proof of your COVID-19 vaccination by uploading it to your form. Further information for those travelling to the province, including isolation and testing requirements, can be found here.

All of Newfoundland and Labrador has now moved to Alert Level 3. This decision will be reassessed on January 10, 2022 to determine if the Alert Level can change at that time. Alert Level 3 restrictions can be found here.

With regard to travel within the province, we recognize that this is an important time for families to be together, and some loved ones may need support this time of year. We also recognize that families may want to travel to their cabins and cottages over the holidays and travel for these reasons is acceptable. If you travel, please be cautious and keep your contacts low. The more movement of people we have within the province, the more spread of the virus we will see.

All fully vaccinated travellers arriving in Newfoundland and Labrador need to isolate for five days upon arrival. The day of arrival in the province counts as ‘Day 0’. They will need to take a rapid test every day for five days and, if they are all negative, they can leave isolation after five full days or 120 hours have passed since their arrival. Travellers are legally required to complete these rapid tests, and to be most effective, they must be used each day.

Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated travellers will also be provided with rapid test kits at their point of entry. Completing the rapid tests is voluntary but strongly recommended for these travellers. Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated travellers will still be required to quarantine and test as they have previously.

Anyone arriving in the province by motor vehicle or rail from the province of Québec can obtain their rapid test kits at either the Wabush or Happy Valley-Goose Bay airports. These travellers will be asked to show their Travel Form reference number.

More details on current travel restrictions can be viewed here.

The most up to date vaccine data and the number of vaccine doses administered is on the provincial COVID-19 data hub. Information on COVID-19 vaccines for Newfoundland and Labrador is available online here. Additional information on the COVID-19 vaccination rollout is on the websites for each of the regional health authorities:

Eastern Health
Central Health
Western Health
Labrador-Grenfell Health

Please continue following the proven Public Health measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. For the most up-to-date information related to COVID-19, please visit www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19.

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Media contact
Nancy Hollett
Health and Community Services
709-729-6554, 327-7878
nancyhollett@gov.nl.ca

 

 

2021 12 31 2:35 pm