P.E.I. to provide less frequent COVID-19 updates; only 1 person hospitalized due to virus

One person is in hospital due to COVID-19 on P.E.I. and another is in the hospital who tested positive after being admitted for other reasons, the Chief Public Health Office said in a release Friday.

The CPHO also announced that going forward, it will be providing scheduled updates three times a week — Monday, Wednesday and Friday rather than daily — with news releases and press conferences being scheduled as needed.

Other Atlantic Canada provinces are also easing their update frequency. Newfoundland and Labrador announced Friday it will also be providing them three times a week, and New Brunswick will no longer do dashboard updates on weekends and holidays.

Three long-term care facilities have outbreaks: Andrews of Park West, Clinton View Lodge, and South Shore Villa. One community care facility, Corrigan Home, also has an outbreak.

There are also 16 outbreaks at early learning and child-care centres, with 12 centres open, two closed and two operating at a modified or reduced capacity.

The CPHO is reporting 235 new cases and 265 resolved cases as of Friday morning. The province has 2,118 active cases and there have been 11,492 total cases of COVID-19.

Over the last seven days, there's been an average of 217 cases reported per day.

There have been 15 COVID-related deaths on P.E.I.

The province also said Friday 2,600 appointments are available at COVID-19 vaccination clinics next week.

There are 1,900 spots at Health P.E.I. clinics open for people over 12 getting their first or second dose, as well as Islanders over 18 looking to get the booster shot.

Dedicated clinics for those over 30 have 700 appointments for booster shots available, including walk-ins.

The province said there's also a limited number of appointments for children getting the pediatric vaccine.

About 30,000 Islanders are eligible to get the booster but haven't yet received the shot.

The O'Leary mobile COVID testing clinic was closed Friday due to wind, rain and freezing rain conditions.