The province has five active cases of COVID-19 with one new confirmed case reported today.

The case involves a woman in her 20s or 30s within the Eastern Health region, and is related to international travel. She is self-isolating, and contact tracing has concluded.

One case was reported yesterday involving a young man, also related to international travel.

Newfoundland and Labrador currently has five active cases, while one person remains in hospital.

As of today, 75,973 people have been tested for the virus.

The province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Ftizgerald is urging patience when it comes to the administration of COVID vaccines.

Fitzgerald told today’s briefing that while vaccine shipments are arriving regularly it is “unrealistic” to expect them to be administered within a day or two of arrival.

It requires protocols which include consent and education, and delivery to rural and remote communities, like the coast of Labrador with take time.

Fitzgerald acknowledged the desire for a more expedient roll-out of the vaccine. She knows people are anxious, but they need people to be patient and wait their turn based on where they fall in identified priority groups.

Briefings Returning to Once-a-Week Format

With a provincial election call imminent, the regular COVID briefings will be reduced to once a week, unless case numbers dictate differently.

Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald will host the regular briefings through the election campaign on a once-weekly basis, with regular COVID updates provided through government release on a daily basis.

If there is a sudden change in the province’s COVID status during the campaign then that schedule will be revisited says Health Minister John Haggie.