Thread by @PeterCBC

It's an unscheduled NL Friday COVID briefing
Premier says they're changing the booster schedule, there are changes to public health restrictions and giving an update on vaccine requirement for civil servants
"This is not a lockdown" he says #covid19nfld

Andrew Furey says we are exhausted, we want COVID-19 to go away and he does too.
He says our high vaccination rate is a big help
Almost 100% of provincial government employees are fully vaccinated #covid19nfld

*NEW* the booster doses are now available at 22 weeks (half of what it was) in NL
265,000 people are eligible for a booster by the end of the month says Furey #covid19nfld

The size of gatherings is being reduced (premier doesn't give details, guessing we'll get some from the CMOH in a second) #covid19nfld

The finance minister says 99.4% of public servants are complaint and fully vaccinated. In school staff it's 98%, healthcare it's 97% #covid19nfld

There are 46 cases
11 in Eastern (8 travel, 2 contacts)
4 in Central all under investigation
31 in Western , 20 contacts, 11 investigation
4 recoveries, 76 active cases
No one in hospital
#covid19nfld

They have detected more omicron cases, she expects case counts to rise rapidly in the coming days
"We have a very careful balancing act" says Dr. Fitzgerald
She says they want society to function, goal to prevent health system from being overwhelmed #covid19nfld

She says vaccinations alone are not enough
Vaccines continue to protect you from severe illness, but less protection from getting and transmitting it #covid19nfld

Anyone high risk contacts now have to isolate for 7 days if they're fully vaccinated. It's a temporary measures, because we're in the early stages of the Omicron variant.
#covid19nfld

Amateur sports and recreation travel out of region is not allowed, tournaments aren't allowed.
Teams can play within their own region. They want to avoid people travelling out of their area and bringing groups together #covid19nfld

As of Monday weddings, funerals are at 50% where vax pass is in place
Bars, lounges 50%
Restaurants 75% capacity
In person gatherings in your home are max 25 (that's not a change) #covid19nfld

Restrictions may change with little notice, Dr. Fitzgerald says can't guarantee Christmas break won't be extended for schools #covid19nfld

"I know there is pandemic fatigue, but wishing COVID away will not make it so. We have the opportunity to swing the pendulum in our favour"
She says we need to batten down the hatches #covid19nfld

There are 75 healthcare workers who won't be taking the vaccine says the health minister, another 91 are partially vaccinated and will resume their work once they get their second shot.
#covid19nfld

There are 18,000 doses in pharmacies, they're working to match supply and demand. They expect influx of federal supply of vaccine in the next couple days. Supply chain can handle that he says #covid19nfld

The health authorities says no disruption to services because of healthcare workers who are now off work because they're unvaccinated

32 non complaint in core government (they're absent without pay) no service disruptions #covid19nfld

"Hopefully all of these measures are short-lived" says the premier
"The timing sucks, there's no other way to say it" says Dr. Fitzgerald.
She says going to be a few "less than ideal weeks"
But good vaccination rates puts us in a better place than other places #covid19nfld

We want schools to be the last to close and the first to open says Dr. Fitzgerald
They also want schools open so kids can get vaccinated before Christmas.
If they think schools need to be closed though they will #covid19nfld

Rather than capping gathering sizes, they're doing it based on the size of the building, so it's 50% to allow for physical distancing #covid19nfld

A longer interval between your second and your booster gives you a stronger respond. That's why they want you to wait 22 weeks rather than shortening it to 3 months like some other provinces

That should be one month less than it was, not half, apologies!

Dr. Fitzgerald says boosting either mRNA vaccine is effective, Moderna is as good as Pfizer. She says for mosts people no reason you shouldn't take Moderna. "It's a safe and very effective vaccine" and provides good immune boost #covid19nfld

Why restrictions on sports?
There has been spread through sporting events, they want to reduce the number of people gathering in groups, travelling between regions etc
#covid19nfld

The health minister says there should be more vaccine appointments in St. John's in the next day, and they're staffing up at the mass clinics so they can do more shots #covid19nfld

There are a lot of rapid tests arriving, they're reevaluating how to use them
They might be for kids when schools start again, or if a community is dealing with an outbreak, there's community transmission
No plans right now to distribute them to community #covid19nfld

Omicron is in the Eastern region, presumptive cases are in Eastern and some in Central #covid19nfld

There will be an uptick in cases over the holidays says Dr. Fitzgerald, keep your distance, wear your mask, wash your hands, keep your contacts as low as you can, get tested if you have any symptoms #covid19nfld

Dr. Fitzgerald says they want to keep schools open, if schools are open it's because public health has decided it's safe #covid19nfld

"I cannot stress enough the importance of staying home if you are sick" says Dr. Fitzgerald
She says they're seeing people continue to go to work or school when they've had symptoms
She says people are tired, but need to stay home if you're not feeling well #covid19nfld

The premier ends the news conference by saying vaccines continue to be the #1 tool we have
He says he wishes this could be the last briefing, but says that's not reasonable! #covid19nfld