There are two new cases of COVID-19 in the province. Both cases are in the Western Health region and are both related to travel.
The first is a resident of Newfoundland and Labrador in his 50s, and is related to international travel. The second is a man in his 60s, who recently returned home from work in British Columbia.
Both men are self-isolating and contact tracing is underway.
No new positive cases have been reported as the result of a cluster of five cases reported last week, with no known source identified. Some 200 people have been tested as a result of an advisory resulting from businesses that were identified as part of the contact tracing process—all of which have come back negative.
Another person has recovered from the virus, meaning there are 14 active cases in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Meanwhile, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald has issued an advisory to recent air travellers to contact 811 for COVID testing as the result of a recent positive test.
They include anyone on board Air Canada flight 7480 from Montreal to St. John’s on Friday, January 22 and Air Canada flight 7481 from St. John’s to Montreal on Sunday, January 24 because of a possible exposure.
That passenger is not in the province, and the case is not connected to any cases in this province at this time.
To arrange for testing, passengers are encouraged to call 811 or complete the online self-assessment and referral tool available on the provincial government’s COVID-19 website.
People who have been exposed to an identified case are required to self-isolated for a full 14 days despite a negative test result. Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says false negatives are possible if the swab was taken early in the virus’ incubation period.
In the meantime, Fitzgerald says swabs are undergoing whole genome sequencing to determine if they may be one of a number of new variants.
She says provinces across the country—including some in Atlantic Canada—are reporting COVID-19 variants of concern. Some variants allow the virus to spread from person to person much easier and faster than the original strain.
She says in areas where new variants are discovered they quickly become the dominant strain and Newfoundland and Labrador “will almost certainly see” new variants. The key, she says, is catching it so it does not spread beyond the original case.