HALIFAX -- New Brunswick Public Health is reporting five new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday in four different regions. Five previously reported cases are now considered resolved, as the active number of cases in the province remains at 46.

Wednesday's new cases involve:

Two cases in Zone 3 (Fredericton region):

  • an individual under 19; and
  • an individual 60 to 69.

Of these, one is related to travel and one is a close contact of a known case.

  • an individual 20 to 29 in Zone 5 (Campbellton region) whose case is travel related;
  • an individual 50 to 59 in Zone 6 (Bathurst region) whose case is travel related; and
  • an individual 50 to 59 in Zone 7 (Miramichi region) whose case is travel related.

“We are seeing more travel-related cases, which means it remains very important to keep your number of close contacts low and follow strict self-isolation guidelines for out-of-province travellers, especially during this holiday period,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health. “We still have a long way to go and limiting your contacts will reduce the spread of infections so we can avoid a surge of new cases in January.”

EXPOSURE NOTIFICATION ON AIR CANADA FLIGHTS

One of Wednesday's 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 flights:

  • Air Canada Flight 176 – from Edmonton to Toronto, arrived at 6:30 a.m.
  • Air Canada Flight 404 – from Toronto to Montreal, arrived at 10:16 a.m.
  • Air Canada Flight 8902– from Montreal to Moncton, arrived at 3:54 p.m.

Public Health says anyone on those flights 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.

MONCTON VACCINATION CLINIC

N.B. public health says a vaccination clinic to administer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to front-line health-care workers started Wednesday at Moncton's Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre.

EDMUNDSTON REGION RETURNS TO YELLOW PHASE

New Brunswick's Zone 4 (Edmundston region) returned to the yellow alert level effective at midnight Tuesday.

Public Health says the recommendation was made because the growth in new cases has slowed, there are no new cases among health-care workers, and in consideration of the mental health and well-being of New Brunswickers at this time of year.

“I thank everyone in Zone 4 for taking the rules seriously and doing their part to ensure the entire province is in the Yellow level just in time for the holidays,” said Health Minister Dorothy Shephard in a release. “If we all continue to follow the guidance of Public Health and the rules in the mandatory order, I am confident that we can keep New Brunswick in the Yellow level as we enter 2021.”

The Edmundston region had been in the orange phase since Dec. 11, after an increase in cases and a confirmed outbreak at the Edmundston Regional Hospital.

As of Wednesday, 15 of New Brunswick's 46 active cases were identified in the Edmundston zone, according to the province's online dashboard.

“There is recognition that the holiday period is of great importance to many people, and that balancing the social determinants of health is an important consideration if we can ensure risks of transmission are low and within an acceptable range,” said Russell. “It remains very important to keep your number of close contacts low, especially during the holiday period.”

All seven zones in New Brunswick are now considered at the yellow level of recovery. Information on New Brunswick's recovery plan is available on the province's website.

CASE BREAKDOWN

New Brunswick has had 585 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of those, 530 have recovered. There have been eight deaths, leaving 46 active cases in the province.

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

To date, 148,195 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: 151 confirmed cases (7 active cases)
  • Zone 2 – Saint John region: 128 confirmed cases (7 active cases)
  • Zone 3 – Fredericton region: 118 confirmed cases (13 active cases)
  • Zone 4 – Edmundston region: 33 confirmed cases (15 active cases)
  • Zone 5 – Campbellton region: 138 confirmed cases (1 active case)
  • Zone 6 – Bathurst region: 12 confirmed cases (2 active cases)
  • Zone 7 – Miramichi region: 5 confirmed cases (1 active case)

VEHICLE TRAFFIC INFORMATION

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

On Tuesday, 1,954 personal and 1,345 commercial vehicles attempted to cross the border into the province.

Of the vehicles attempting to cross the border, 20 were refused entry, for a refusal rate of 0.6 per cent.