HALIFAX -- New Brunswick Public Health is reporting four new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. One previously reported case is now considered resolved, as the active number of cases in the province has increased to 48.

Monday's new cases involve:

  • an individual 20 to 29 in Zone 3 (Fredericton region);
  • two people 50 to 59 in Zone 3 (Fredericton region); and
  • an individual 20 to 29 in Zone 4 (Edmundston region).

Public Health says three cases in Zone 3 are travel related and are self-isolating. The case in Zone 4 is a contact of a known case and was already self-isolating.

1,871 VACCINES ADMINISTERED

N.B. public health says a total of 1,871 individuals received their first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the clinic held at the Miramichi Regional Hospital over the weekend.

"It was phenomenal," said Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick's chief medical officer of health. "I actually toured the facility in the morning before they started immunizing folks and it was very well set-up, very well laid out."

Those who received the vaccine were from priority groups identified in the provincial government’s vaccination plan. The remaining vaccines will be administered to frontline health-care workers and workers in long-term-care facilities in Miramichi.

Among those first in line for the inoculation was Dr. Harif Chatur, an emergency room doctor in Waterville, N.B.

"It felt like it was the beginning of the end, it really felt like hope," Chatur said.

Chatur is the founder of the Got My Shot NB online campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the vaccine and build confidence in getting it.

"So, I think using this as an opportunity to be enthusiastic about really, the beginning of the end, and trying to you know combat vaccine hesitancy with vaccine enthusiasm and public education," Chatur said.

EXPOSURE NOTIFICATION

One of the new cases comes with a potential COVID-19 exposure from N.B. Public Health.

Public Health identified a positive case in a traveller who may have been infectious on Dec. 16 while on the following flight:

  • Air Canada Flight 8506 – from Montreal to Fredericton, arrived at 9:16 p.m.

Public Health says anyone on that flight should continue to monitor for symptoms and follow the directives given to them during the travel registration process and when they entered New Brunswick.

Click here for a full list of potential COVID-19 exposures in New Brunswick.

CASE BREAKDOWN

New Brunswick has had 578 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of those, 521 have recovered. There have been eight deaths, leaving 48 active cases in the province.

There is currently three people in hospital as a result of COVID-19, with one in intensive care.

To date, 146,628 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: 150 confirmed cases (5 active cases)
  • Zone 2 – Saint John region: 130 confirmed cases (9 active)
  • Zone 3 – Fredericton region: 113 confirmed cases (13 active)
  • Zone 4 – Edmundston region: 32 confirmed cases (19 active)
  • Zone 5 – Campbellton region: 137 confirmed cases (no active cases)
  • Zone 6 – Bathurst region: 12 confirmed cases (2 active)
  • Zone 7 – Miramichi region: 4 confirmed cases (no active cases)

VEHICLE TRAFFIC INFORMATION

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

On Sunday, 987 personal and 809 commercial vehicles attempted to cross the border into the province.

Of the vehicles attempting to cross the border, 19 were refused entry, for a refusal rate of 0.7 per cent.