More than 6,200 vaccination appointments booked for children aged five to 11 in New Brunswick

HALIFAX, N.S. -

New Brunswick announced Wednesday that more than 6,200 appointments have booked for children aged five to 11 to receive their first dose of the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine.

Tuesday was the first opportunity parents and guardians had to book an appointment online at vaccination clinics offered through Vitalité and Horizon health networks.

“It is wonderful to see so many appointments booked for the clinics, which are starting across the province on Friday,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health.

“This is an important step forward in reducing the spread of the virus and protecting all New Brunswickers.”

CASE NUMBERS

New Brunswick reported 87 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, along with 60 recoveries, brining the total number of active cases in the province to 692.

According to the province, 19 of the new cases are in the Moncton region (Zone 1), and include:

• six people 19 and under;

• two people 20-29;

• four people 30-39;

• two people 40-49;

• a person 50-59;

• two people 60-69; and

• two people 70-79.

Seventeen cases are under investigation and two cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases.

The 29 new cases in Zone 2 (Saint John region) are as follows:

• 10 people 19 and under;

• five people 20-29;

• two people 30-39;

• four people 40-49;

• two people 50-59;

• five people 60-69; and

• a person 80-89.

Twenty-two cases are under investigation and seven are contacts of previously confirmed cases.

The 20 new cases in Zone 3 (Fredericton region) are as follows:

• six people 19 and under;

• a person 20-29;

• three people 30-39;

• three people 40-49;

• four people 50-59;

• a person 60-69; and

• two people 70-79.

Seventeen cases are under investigation and three are contacts of previously confirmed cases.

The two new cases in the Bathurst region (Zone 6) are as follows:

• a person 20-29; and

• a person 50-59.

One case is a contact of a previously confirmed case and the other case is under investigation.

The 17 new cases in the Miramichi region (Zone 7) are as follows:

• four people 19 and under;

• three people 20-29;

• a person 30-39;

• five people 40-49;

• a person 50-59; and

• three people 60-69.

Nine cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases and eight cases are under investigation.

Health officials say, of the new cases, 35 per cent are unvaccinated, eight per cent are partially vaccinated, and six per cent are fully vaccinated.

CLIMBING CASES

There is concern that the climbing cases could interrupt a ‘normal’ holiday season.

Opposition leader Roger Melanson questions if enforcement should increase to get things under control.

“Some people were not respecting the circuit breaker, so that’s off the table now,” he said.

“Public safety needs to, in my opinion, show more enforcement and make sure that people are respecting the rules in place, because the rules are there to protect everyone, even the people that obviously do not respect the rules.”

Health minister Dorothy Shephard says they’re keeping a close eye on the case numbers, but their “real key indicator is how many are in hospital, how many are in the ICU and can we manage that?”

“Most of the transmissions are in households,” said Shephard.

“So we really need to go back to the basics for a bit to see how this is going to work, and then we’re going to have to address what our holidays might look like.”

Premier Blaine Higgs acknowledged “following the rules is a challenge” and said they’ll never catch every single person who is not adhering to public health measures.

“So where we’re really focused is hospital count. And you know, we could all test positive but if we’re all vaccinated, then it is what it is. But it’s how do we manage the hospitals, and not lose control because that’s where the weakness could be,” said Higgs.

CONFIRMED CASES IN SCHOOLS AND CHILD-CARE FACILITIES

A case has been confirmed at New Maryland Kidz Klub in Zone 3 (Fredericton region). If you or a family member have been in close contact with a case, you will be notified by Public Health or the facility for contact tracing. If you are not notified directly, you have not been identified as a close contact.

Since Sept. 7, 87 early learning and child-care facilities have had confirmed cases of COVID-19.

CASE BREAKDOWN

There are 45 people in hospital. Of these 45, 11 contracted the virus while hospitalized for other reasons due to the ongoing outbreaks in certain units at the Moncton Hospital.

Nineteen people are in an intensive care unit, 10 per cent of those cases are unvaccinated, three per cent are partially vaccinated, and one per cent are fully vaccinated.

To date, 550,858 COVID-19 tests has been conducted in New Brunswick.

CASE LOCATIONS

The number of cases are broken down by New Brunswick’s seven health zones:

• Zone 1 – Moncton region: 2,390 confirmed cases (248 active cases)

• Zone 2 – Saint John region: 1,006 confirmed cases (143 active cases)

• Zone 3 – Fredericton region: 1,576 confirmed cases (169 active cases)

• Zone 4 – Edmundston region: 1,462 confirmed cases (8 active cases)

• Zone 5 – Campbellton region: 688 confirmed cases (2 active cases)

• Zone 6 – Bathurst region: 312 confirmed cases (13 active cases)

• Zone 7 – Miramichi region: 459 confirmed cases (109 active cases)

VACCINATION UPDATE

The province says 87.6 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 93.5 per cent have received their first dose of a vaccine.

In total, 1,260,532 vaccine doses have been administered in New Brunswick.

Health-care personnel, including those working in long-term care facilities, and residents of First Nations communities can now book an appointment to receive an mRNA COVID-19 booster dose if six months have passed since their second dose of a vaccine. They must bring their proof of vaccination, i.e. immunization record, to their appointment.

People 65 and older and school personnel are permitted to book an appointment to receive an mRNA COVID-19 booster dose if six months have passed since their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Fully vaccinated people who have received one or two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in their series are permitted to book an appointment to receive an mRNA booster dose if 28 days have passed since their second dose.

International travellers with mixed first two doses of vaccine products are eligible to book an appointment to receive a booster dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. This applies to anyone who must travel outside of North America for work, education or medical procedures. A booster dose of an mRNA vaccine will be available as long as a 28-day interval has passed since their previous dose.

A detailed list of those eligible for a booster dose is available online.

Appointments for first and second doses, as well as a booster dose for those eligible, can be scheduled for a regional health authority community COVID-19 vaccination clinic through the online booking system or at a participating pharmacy. Residents of First Nations communities can also book an appointment at a community clinic.

A list of upcoming mobile and walk-in clinics is available online.

POTENTIAL PUBLIC EXPOSURES

A full list of potential COVID-19 exposure notifications in New Brunswick can be found on the province's website.

Anyone with symptoms of the virus, as well as anyone who has been at the site of a possible public exposure, is urged to request a test online or call Tele-Care at 811 to get an appointment.