N.B. reports four more deaths related to COVID-19 Friday, moves to Level 3 at midnight

New Brunswick health officials reported four more deaths related to COVID-19 on Friday.

Public health says the deaths involve:

• a person in their 70s in the Moncton region (Zone 1)
• a person in their 80s in the Saint John region (Zone 2)
• a person in their 70s in the Fredericton region (Zone 3)
• a person in their 80s in the Edmundston region (Zone 4)

Since Monday, Jan. 10, New Brunswick has reported 12 COVID-19 related deaths.

There are also 103 people hospitalized in New Brunswick due to COVID-19 on Friday, 11 of whom are in intensive care.

Of those currently in hospital:

• 82 are over the age of 60
• three are on a ventilator
• 64 per cent are either unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or it has been six months since their second dose
• two people are under the age of 19

The seven-day rolling average of hospitalizations is available on the COVID-19 dashboard.

VACCINE UPDATE

As of Friday, 1,533,010 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.

Of those, 683,612 were first doses, and 625,621 were second doses.

According to the province's online dashboard, 223,777 booster doses have been administered to date.

Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health, is also encouraging parents to book appointments for their child’s vaccine.

“Children currently make up the largest segment of our unvaccinated and under-vaccinated population. If you have not already done so, please book an appointment to get your children vaccinated, especially those aged five to 11, before in-person learning resumes,” said Russell.

BOOSTER APPOINTMENTS

Since Monday, Jan. 10, more than 29,810 appointments were booked for a COVID-19 booster dose.

Booster shots in New Brunswick are now available to everyone aged 18 and older, as long as five months have passed since their second dose.

MOVE TO LEVEL 3

New Brunswick is tightening its COVID-19 restrictions Friday night by moving to Level 3 of its COVID-19 Winter Plan.

The move to the strictest level of restrictions will impact things like gathering limits, many non-essential businesses, and organized sport activities.

“I ask all New Brunswickers to do their part over the next two weeks, including booking their booster dose if it has been more than five months since their second dose – especially if they are 50 or older, since only 53 per cent of people in this age group have gotten a booster dose and they are at a higher risk of hospitalization,” said Russell.

The full list of restrictions under Level 3 can be found online.

RAPID TEST AND PCR RESULTS

Health officials say the COVID-19 online dashboard has been updated to include both PCR and rapid-test results.

People with COVID-19 symptoms are required to register online for a PCR test or rapid test under the provincial government’s testing strategy. Those who receive a positive rapid-test result are reminded to submit their result online through the self-reporting web portal.