CHARLOTTETOWN — Prince Edward Island's chief medical officer of health is reducing the amount of time residents who test positive for COVID-19 need to isolate.

Dr. Heather Morrison says that starting Friday, fully vaccinated people who test positive must isolate for seven days instead of 10, adding that unvaccinated people still need to isolate for 10 days.

She told reporters today isolation rules can be eased because the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus has a shorter incubation period compared with other mutations.

Premier Dennis King said today the federal Department of Veterans Affairs is providing 15 nurses to help with the Island's vaccination program.

He says another 10 retired public health nurses have been rehired to help with contact tracing and assist people who have tested positive for COVID-19.  

Health officials are reporting 204 new cases of COVID-19 today and say the Island has 1,491 active infections.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 6, 2022.

The Canadian Press