FOG BLOG COVID 19 LOG: NEWFOUNDLAND IN CRISIS WITH SOARING NO'S ....100 NEW CASES TODAY:

THE ROCK IS CONTENDING WITH EXPLODING NO. OF CASES MOST OF WHICH ARE IN ST. JOHN'S...Newfoundland and Labrador reported 100 new cases of COVID-19 — the province's highest single-day total yet — on Thursday, 99 of them in the Eastern Health region.

The single outlying case is in the Western Health region. There is also one presumptive positive case.

There have been no new recoveries since Wednesday's update. The province has 210 active cases, its highest total to date, surpassing the previous high of 192 on April 6.

Testing efforts have also scaled up this week. Since Wednesday's briefing, 1,667 people have been tested, also a record, and nearly double the previous high of 860, set just the day before.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald cast a wide net for people to self-isolate, while also shedding light on what public health investigators have learned.

People need to self-isolate for 14 days (and not 17 days) if they meet any of these criteria:

Students in grades 7 to 12 who attended a party or gathering of more than 10 people, as well as anyone else who did so with those students, in metro St. John's, between Feb. 5 and Feb. 7.
Students in grades 7 to 12 who played team sports, as well as anyone else who did so with those students, between Feb. 5 and Feb. 7, including teams from other regions that competed with teams from St. John's.
Coached or assisted teams in sports similar to the above.

These high numbers show that "COVID-19 has been circulating in our province for some time," said Fitzgerald.

She added that it means some have been spreading the virus while having only mild symptoms, or even while being asymptomatic.

"We are seeing a snowball effect now," she said.