By Canadian Press

Top health official in P.E.I. keeping an eye on COVID-19 surge in New Brunswick

Oct 5, 2021 | 10:51 AM

HALIFAX — Prince Edward Island’s chief medical officer says she’s keeping a close watch on New Brunswick, where a recent surge in COVID-19 cases is straining that province’s health-care system.

Speaking at a briefing today in Charlottetown, Heather Morrison noted that of the 987 new cases reported in Atlantic Canada in the past week, almost two thirds were recorded in New Brunswick.

According to the latest data, New Brunswick’s active caseload stands at 767 infections — three times higher than the caseload in neighbouring Nova Scotia.

In late July, New Brunswick became the first province in Atlantic Canada to remove all health-protection measures, including mask-wearing rules.

On Sept. 24, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs reimposed a state of emergency on the same day a senior health official admitted that lifting restrictions two months earlier was a mistake.

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Meanwhile, health officials in P.E.I. are reporting one new case of COVID 19 today — a person in their 50s who travelled outside Atlantic Canada. The Island has nine active reported cases.

In Nova Scotia, health officials reported 40 new cases of COVID-19 today, 34 of them detected in the province’s central zone, which includes Halifax.

The province says COVID-19 continues to spread in the central zone, primarily among unvaccinated people between the ages of 20 and 40 who are taking part in social activities.

Nova Scotia is now dealing with 248 cases of COVID-19, 17 of which involve people recovering in hospital — including four in intensive care.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2021.

The Canadian Press