N.B. officials say just over 15,000 first doses still needed to loosen restrictions: report three new cases

HALIFAX -

New Brunswick is reporting three new COVID-19 cases and seven recoveries on Thursday, as the active number of cases in the province drops to 101.

• One new case was identified in the Moncton region (Zone 1), involving an individual in their 50s.
• One new case was identified in the Fredericton region (Zone 3), involving an individual in their 20s.
• One new case was identified in the Bathurst region (Zone 6), involving an individual in their 70s.

Public health says all three new cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases.

Seven previously reported COVID-19 cases are now considered resolved, with the total number of active cases dropping to 101.

VACCINATION RATE CONTINUES TO RISE

New Brunswick public health says just over 15,000 New Brunswickers still need to receive their first vaccine dose in order for the province to begin loosening restrictions.

Public Health says as of Wednesday, 72.8 per cent of New Brunswickers aged 12 and older have now received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The province says another 15,365 people need to receive their first vaccine dose to reach the 75 per cent mark, which is necessary to begin loosening pandemic restrictions under the province’s Path to Green.

New Brunswick's COVID-19 online dashboard provides an update on the amount of vaccines that have been administered to date.

As of Wednesday, 560,759 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in New Brunswick.

Anyone eligible for a vaccine who has not already received their first dose can book an appointment online through a Vitalité or Horizon Health Network clinic or by contacting a participating pharmacy.

VACCINATION CLINICS AT N.B. SCHOOLS

Several vaccination walk-in clinics are being held for students and staff at New Brunswick middle and high schools this week.

A clinic at Simonds High School in Saint John will be held on Thursday for students at the following high schools:

• Simonds High School;
• Saint John High School;
• St. Malachy’s Memorial High School; and
• Harbourview High School.

Busing will be available on Thursday to the Vitalité clinic in Edmundston for students at:

• Carrefour de la Jeunesse;
• École Notre-Dame (for students aged 12 and up); and
• École Saint-Jacques (for students aged 12 and up).

“Our students, teachers and school staff are all anxious for a school year with more freedom to socialize, more extracurricular activities and more sports,” said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Dominic Cardy in a release. “Part of planning for a healthy and safe return to normal in September means having as many students and staff as possible fully vaccinated. We have been working with the districts and Public Health to make it easier for students between the ages of 12 and 18 to get to clinics, roll up their sleeves, and get vaccinated. We are encouraging families to get their consent forms signed and ready to go.”

N.B. COVID-19 CASE DATA

New Brunswick has had 2,283 cumulative cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

In total, 2,137 people have recovered, and 44 people have died in the province from COVID-19.

Four people are currently in hospital with COVID-19 in total, Of those, three patients are hospitalized in New Brunswick, including one in an intensive care unit. One person is hospitalized outside of the province, in an intensive care unit.

Public health says 1,021 tests were completed on Wednesday in New Brunswick, and 347,501 total since the start of the pandemic.

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

• Zone 1 – Moncton region: 474 confirmed cases (29 active cases)
• Zone 2 – Saint John region: 295 confirmed cases (one active case)
• Zone 3 – Fredericton region: 419 confirmed cases (43 active cases)
• Zone 4 – Edmundston region: 752 confirmed cases (one active case)
• Zone 5 – Campbellton region: 185 confirmed cases (no active cases)
• Zone 6 – Bathurst region: 119 confirmed cases (25 active cases)
• Zone 7 – Miramichi region: 39 confirmed cases (two active cases)

YELLOW LEVEL REMINDER

All of New Brunswick remains under the Yellow level of recovery under the province’s order.