HALIFAX -- Health officials have confirmed four new presumptive cases of COVID-19 in New Brunswick, bringing the total number of presumptive cases to five. There is also one confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in the province.

Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick’s chief medical officer of health, announced the new presumptive cases on Sunday.

The following details about the cases have been released:

  • Male between the ages of 50 and 60
  • Female between the ages of 50 and 60
  • Male between the ages of 20 and 30
  • Male between the ages of 20 and 30

All four patients live in Zone 3, or the central part of the province. They are all mildly symptomatic and are all close contacts to the woman who was diagnosed with COVID-19.

The province previously confirmed the woman had been in France and her case is travel-related.

“I understand that today’s announcement might be frightening for New Brunswickers, but I ask that everyone keep this in perspective,” said Premier Blaine Higgs in a news release.

“All of these cases are connected to the first case. This has not spread through the community, and that is significant in terms of risk to the public. The risk to you and your family is still relatively low, and the majority of people who do get sick will fully recover.”

Diagnostic testing confirmed the cases as presumptive. The test results will be sent to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg for further testing to determine whether they are positive.

“Active contact tracing is being conducted by regional public health officials,” said Russell. “These individuals are already isolating, and Public Health officials have already taken swift action to implement effective precautions to prevent the infection from spreading.”

Anyone who has travelled internationally in the last 14 days or has been in contact with a case, and is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, such as fever, cough and difficulty breathing, is asked to call 811.

The province is also asking people who aren’t experiencing symptoms and simply have questions about COVID-19 not to call 811, due to “extreme caller volume.” Instead, they are being asked to visit a dedicated website about the novel coronavirus.