N.L. sees no new cases of COVID-19, reaching 17 straight days

There are no new cases of COVID-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador for the 17th straight day.

According to a news release from the provincial government Sunday, the province's total COVID-19 caseload remains 261. Tthere are 243cases in the Eastern Health region, eightcases in the Central Health region, fourin the Western Health region and sixcases in the Labrador-Grenfell Health region.

There are two active cases in the province, with 256people having recovered from the virus. One person is in hospital due to COVID-19.

In total, 14,592people have been tested for the virus up 93from Saturday.

By age, there are:

• 22 people with the virus 19 and under.
• 38 people between 20 and 39.
• 39 people between 40 and 49.
• 58 people between 50 and 59.
• 57 people between 60 and 69.
• 47 people aged 70 and above.

The number of COVID-19-related deaths in the province remains at three.

The province's livemedia briefings will resume Monday.

Testing locations scaling back

During Friday's COVID-19 media briefing, Health Minister John Haggiesaid mobile testing locations are beginning to be scaled back as the demand for testing goes down.

The minister's comments came after the mobile COVID-19 testing site in Corner Brook was closed last week, withtesting moved to the site of West Lane Recycling.

"Testing is done on the basis of demand. Those sites are currently redundant because the demand is so low," Haggie said during Friday's briefing.

"In certain areas, the sites have been mothballed and are ready to be opened again if need arises, and others have been simply dismantled."

Haggie said the province continues to test based on the chief medical officer of health'srecommendations, in line with the Public Health Agency of Canada.

He said the province has also began sentinelsurveillance testing,which involves a form of random testing through the selection of a health-care facility. Sentinel surveillance testing can be used to estimate trends of a virus in a larger population.

In this case, Haggie said testing for people undergoing aerosol generating procedureshas begun, as the procedures can cause respiratory particles to pass through the air.

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