HALIFAX -- New Brunswick Public Health reported no new cases of COVID-19 on Friday -- the first time the province has reported no new cases since Nov. 11.

With three previously-reported cases now considered recovered, the number of active cases in the province has dropped from 55 to 52.

New Brunswick has had 573 cases of COVID-19 and 512 of those people have recovered. There have been eight deaths and there are 52 active cases, according to a news release from New Brunswick Public Health. Three people are in hospital, two of whom are in intensive care.

Public health completed 1,226 tests on Thursday.

As of Friday, public health staff had conducted 144,554 tests since the pandemic was declared in March.

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 on Thursday.

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.

EDMUNDSTON REGION REMAINS ORANGE

New Brunswick's Zone 4 (Edmundston region) remains at the Orange level under the province’s COVID-19 recovery plan. Residents are reminded that among the rules at the Orange level are to stick to a one-household bubble, maintain two metres of distancing and wear a mask while in indoor and outdoor public spaces.

As of Friday, 17 of the province's 52 active cases were located in the Edmundston region.

All other regions of the province are at the Yellow level of recovery.

CASE LOCATIONS

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

  • Zone 1 – Moncton region: 149 confirmed cases (5 active cases)
  • Zone 2 – Saint John region: 128 confirmed cases (14 active cases)
  • Zone 3 – Fredericton region: 113 confirmed cases (14 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 Thursday, 1,162 personal and 1,559 commercial vehicles attempted to cross the border into the province.

Of the vehicles attempting to cross the border, 16 were refused entry, for a refusal rate of 0.6 per cent.