ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Newfoundland and Labrador’s chief medical officer of health broadened the criteria for COVID-19 testing Wednesday in order to encourage more people to come forward.
Starting Monday, Nov. 2, anyone experiencing either a fever or a new or persistent cough is advised to call 811 to arrange for a test.
Until now, the threshold has always been that someone should be experiencing two or more symptoms before calling 811.
That guideline still applies to the following symptoms:
• Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing;
• Runny, stuffy or congested nose;
• Sore throat or difficulty swallowing;
• Headache;
• Loss of taste or smell;
• Unusual fatigue/lack of energy;
• New onset of muscle aches;
• Loss of appetite;
• Vomiting or diarrhea for more than 24 hours.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said the province should expect to see a steady trickle of new cases from those travelling back to the province from hot spots across the country.
“While we cannot prevent all new cases of the virus, we can certainly continue our collective efforts to keep our numbers low and manageable,” she said.
Fitzgerald said testing is one of the most important tools against spread, and those who come forward and do test positive should be thanked, not shunned.
“Let’s show our appreciation and support of these individuals through our kindness and compassion. We are truly in this together.”
Super spreaders
Health Minister Dr. John Haggie said one of the province’s main focuses today is on so-called super-spreader events, in which one or two people can infect dozens more at poorly monitored gatherings.
Early examples occurred in South Korea, where one woman was traced as the source of thousands of infections when she attended church events, a luncheon and other populated venues before finally testing positive.
“We have had our own smaller version of this in St. John’s earlier on,” Haggie said, referring to the Caul’s Funeral Home cluster.
“It would appear that around 80 per cent of all infections actually come from around 19 per cent of infected people,” he said.
Testing and contact tracing are the key tools against it, he said.
Meanwhile, Haggie said the department will be ready to go public with results of the pilot program allowing domestic rotational workers to leave isolation after seven days if they test negative.
“We haven’t seen any concerns that would make us want to reinstate further restrictions for rotational workers,” he said, hinting at the conclusions.
Peter Jackson is a health reporter in St. John’s.
