N.B.'s top doc concerned about number of unvaccinated people testing positive for COVID-19
For the second time since lifting the mandatory order and removing pandemic-related restrictions, New Brunswick has seen a double-digit rise in COVID-19 case counts over a two-day reporting period.
Nearly 30 cases have been identified as of Saturday, when the province moved into the green phase of its pandemic recovery, and the province's top doctor says the majority of recent cases are among those who are not fully protected.
"I am very concerned, in the sense that most of the cases since early July have been in people that have been unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated," says Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick's chief medical officer of health.
As of Tuesday, 68.1 per cent of the eligible population is fully vaccinated, however the province had originally said that all restrictions would be lifted when that number had reached 75 per cent. The percentage of first-doses is now at 82.3 per cent.
"I'm hoping, the idea that we still have under 20 per cent that aren't vaccinated at all, that they will start to rethink that," says premier Blaine Higgs, speaking to reporters on Monday afternoon in Fredericton.
Amid climbing cases in the province and a long list of possible exposure notifications, Dr. Russell says they're following the situation very closely.
"These freedoms and this transition period is something we don't take lightly, we don't take for granted," says Dr. Russell.
"But the trade-off, was supposed to be that the population would get vaccinated at 75 per cent level with two doses at a minimum."
New Brunswick lifted its mandatory order at 11:59 p.m. on Friday night, marking an end to all COVID-related restrictions, however, some do continue to maintain mask wearing.
"I'm going to different stores and I'm surprised…how many people are still wearing a mask," says opposition health critic JC D'Amours.
"I think this is a good sign that there's many people that want to take an extra step to be safe and stay safe."
There are now 44 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, Reuters sources say
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.