HALIFAX -- New Brunswick Public Health reported six new cases of COVID-19 in three zones on Thursday. The number of active cases has increased from 51 to 55.

Three of the cases are in Zone 4 (the Edmundston region). Two people are 19 or under while the third person is in their 40s.

Zone 4 remains in the Orange level of pandemic restrictions.

"We are deeply concerned about the outbreak at the Edmundston Regional Hospital and the potential for the virus to spread through the community," Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick's chief medical officer of health, said during a news conference Thursday. "We are closely monitoring the situation in Zone 4 and are encouraged by the absence of wider spread so far."

There are two new cases in Zone 1 (the Moncton region). One person is 19 or under and the second person is in their 60s.

There is also one new case in Zone 2 (the Saint John region). The person is in their 40s.

All six people are self-isolating and the cases are under investigation.

New Brunswick has had 573 cases of COVID-19 and 509 of those people have recovered. There have been eight deaths and there are 55 active cases, according to a news release from New Brunswick Public Health. Three people are in hospital, two of whom are in intensive care.

As of Thursday, public health staff have conducted 143,328 tests.

Russell said another round of testing has been done at a Saint John, N.B., nursing home and one more employee has tested positive. This brings the total number of positive tests at the Shannex-operated facility to 20. That includes eight staff members, one non-Shannex employee, and 11 residents.

Russell once again reminded New Brunswickers to follow the public health guidelines no matter how much they are tempted to ignore them for the sake of a holiday get-together.

"We shouldn't be celebrating the holidays the way that we normally do," Russell said. "Do not take chances with COVID-19. I suggest the best gift you can give this year is the gift of safety. It remains very important to keep your number of close contacts low, especially during the holiday period."

VACCINE ROLLOUT STARTS SATURDAY

The starting point for New Brunswick's rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine is on Saturday in Miramichi, where priority groups, including front-line healthcare workers and long-term care staff, and residents are among those first in line to get it.

"We will work through the priority groups first, starting with the most vulnerable, and those who work with the most vulnerable, but in the months ahead everyone who wants a vaccine will be given the opportunity to get it," said Premier Blaine Higgs.

Higgs says more doses are expected to arrive next week. About half will be used to give the first recipients their second dose of vaccine.

"We expect to receive another 3,900 doses of the Pfizer Bio-NTech vaccine during the week of Jan. 4, and we anticipate regular delivery will begin the week of Jan. 11," Higgs said.

Even with hope on the horizon, however, public health is cautioning residents not to let their guard down, especially during the holidays.

"The entire population of New Brunswick won't actually be all vaccinated until later this year," said Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick's chief medical officer of health. "Probably not until the next six-to-nine months, so between now and then we have to stay vigilant -- even for those who do receive the vaccine."

CASE LOCATIONS

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

  • Zone 1 – Moncton region: 149 confirmed cases (6 active cases)
  • Zone 2 – Saint John region: 128 confirmed cases (14 active cases)
  • Zone 3 – Fredericton region: 113 confirmed cases (16 active cases)
  • Zone 4 – Edmundston region: 31 confirmed cases (17 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 Wednesday, 1,413 personal and 1,541 commercial vehicles attempted to cross the border into the province.

Of the vehicles attempting to cross the border, 13 were refused entry, for a refusal rate of 0.4 per cent.