HALIFAX -- New Brunswick has received its first 1,950 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

The vaccine arrived at the Miramichi Regional Hospital Tuesday morning.

The doses will be administered to members of the following priority groups this weekend at an immunization clinic at the hospital:

  • Long-term care residents and staff
  • Healthcare workers who respond to COVID-19 outbreaks
  • Extra-mural staff and paramedics
  • Other healthcare workers
  • First Nations nurses
  • Seniors over 85

Health Minister Dorothy Shephard says they want to do it right.

"The applications went out friday, deadline is today and so those applications will all be vetted to ensure that they're going to the priority groups and then those decisions will be made," Shephard said.

There has been concern that some healthcare workers, like paramedics, received an invitation to get the vaccine, but didn't get their shift off to go get it.

"This needs to be worked through with our partners," said Shephard. "We cannot leave our ambulances unmanned, so it will be up to Ambulance New Brunswick to process these requests, as they can, when they can, in the safest and responsible way."

Ambulance New Brunswick says if paramedics are able to organize a shift change with a colleague, they can do so. Otherwise, those paramedics unable to, have been assured they will receive a vaccination in the very near future.

Shephard says the province is expecting another 3,900 doses of the vaccine delivered next week.

Half of that is earmarked as the second dose for the initial 1,950 people, who will receive the second dose on Jan. 9 and 10.

Then 975 people will receive the other half.

Right now, Miramichi is the only place to administer the vaccine, but Shephard assures there will be more clinics across the province, eventually.

"With the Miramichi, there was adaquate space in that facility to set it up," Shephard said. "I mean, there is a big nursing home there, that will certainly take a part of that. It will be a short distance in order to have those residents go to that hospital."

ONE NEW COVID-19 CASE

New Brunswick Public Health reported one new case of COVID-19 on Tuesday. With 13 previously reported cases now considered recovered, the number of active cases in the province has dropped from 59 to 47.

Tuesday's new case involves a person in their 40s in Zone 4 (Edmundston region) who is self-isolating. Public health says the case is under investigation.

The number of confirmed cases in New Brunswick is 559 and of those, 503 people have recovered. Eight people have died.

Three people are in hospital, two of which are in intensive care.

As of Monday, Public Health had conducted 141,282 tests.

EDMUNDSTON REGION REMAINS ORANGE

New Brunswick's Zone 4 (Edmundston region) remains at the Orange level under the province’s COVID-19 recovery plan.

As of Tuesday, 15 of the province's 47 active cases were located in the Edmundston region.

All other zones in New Brunswick remain at the Yellow level. During this time, Public Health measures and guidelines must still be followed.

CASE LOCATIONS

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

  • Zone 1 – Moncton region: 146 confirmed cases (4 active cases)
  • Zone 2 – Saint John region: 127 confirmed cases (15 active cases)
  • Zone 3 – Fredericton region: 108 confirmed cases (11 active cases)
  • Zone 4 – Edmundston region: 26 confirmed cases (15 active cases)
  • Zone 5 – Campbellton region: 137 confirmed cases (0 active cases)
  • Zone 6 – Bathurst region: 11 confirmed cases (2 active cases)
  • Zone 7 – Miramichi region: 4 confirmed cases (0 active cases)

VEHICLE TRAFFIC INFORMATION

New Brunswick's online dashboard includes information about vehicle traffic attempting to enter the province.

On Monday, 1,972 personal and 1,227 commercial vehicles attempted to cross the border into the province.

Of the vehicles attempting to cross the border, 12 were refused entry, for a refusal rate of 0.4 per cent.