Yesterday, Sunday, August 30, Newfoundland and Labrador had no new confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The province has one active case. Contact tracing by public health officials is complete. All results are negative.
The department is advising the public that there was a positive test result reported yesterday.
The positive test result was from an asymptomatic patient at Eastern Health. The individual had COVID-19 in the past and had recovered.
The test was done as part of a screening protocol, not because the individual reported symptoms of COVID-19.
The individuals close contacts are being notified and twenty Eastern Health staff are self-isolating.
Out of an abundance of caution, all close contacts will be tested. Local unions have been notified.
The public health evidence to date indicates that this is not a new case of COVID-19.
The reason for this is that the test is quite good at detecting any viral genetic material that may be present even if the virus is no longer capable of producing infection.
In people who have recovered from COVID-19, the presence of such material could produce a positive test result, but this does not mean there is an active infection.
This means the total number of confirmed cases in the province remains at 269 and there is no one in hospital due to COVID-19.
265 people have recovered from the virus and to date, 31,792 people have been tested.
In Alert Level 2, individuals should continue to practice good infection prevention and control practices.
Daily preventative actions can help to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
For the most up-to-date information related to COVID-19, please visit www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19.