New Brunswick reports 12 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday; announces options for AstraZeneca recipients

HALIFAX -

Health officials in New Brunswick are reporting 12 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, as the number of active cases in the province drops to 140.

Of the new cases, three are in the Moncton region (Zone 1), involving two people in their 50s and one person in their 70s. They are all close contacts of previously reported cases.

In the Saint John region (Zone 2), there is one new case, involving an individual in their 20s related to travel outside the province.

Four new cases are in the Fredericton region (Zone 3), involving two people in their 20s, one in their 60s, and one in their 70s. One case involves a close contact of a previously reported case, while the other three remain under investigation.

Four new cases are in the Bathurst region (Zone 6) involving an individual 19 or under, an individual in their 20s, an individual in their 30s, and an individual in their 70s. All four cases involve close contacts of previously reported cases.

Fourteen people have recovered since Tuesday, and there are now 140 active cases in the province.

MIXING VACCINES

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Jennifer Russell said Wednesday that New Brunswick will allow residents to mix vaccines for their second dose.

Based on advice from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, N.B. residents will be able to receive a second dose of an mRNA vaccine manufactured by Pfizer or Moderna.

Those who received AstraZeneca as their first dose can also receive an mRNA vaccine.

Those over 55 and older who received AstraZeneca as their first dose, and eight weeks have passed, can book a second dose of AstraZeneca or wait until mRNA vaccine second dose clinics open up.

The province will continue to use AstraZeneca, but only for those over 55.

Information on receiving a second dose of vaccine is expected next week.

URGING PEOPLE TO GET VACCINATED

Health Minister Dorothy Shephard said as of Wednesday, 64.5 per cent of New Brunswickers 12 and older have received one dose of the vaccine.

“While this is an impressive number, if we want to hit our first goal and move into the next phase on our path to Green by next Monday, we all need to contribute by rolling up our sleeves," Shephard said.

The first phase of New Brunswick's reopening plan requires that 75 per cent of residents receive their first dose, and hospitalizations remain low.

All New Brunswick residents aged 12 and older are now eligible to receive a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Public Health encourages anyone who has not yet received their first dose to book an appointment online through Vitalité or Horizon Health Network clinics or by contacting a participating pharmacy.

New Brunswick’s COVID-19 online dashboard provides an update on the number of vaccines that have been administered to date.

As of Wednesday, 489,580 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, with 447,530 residents having received at least one dose.

“Nearly two-thirds of New Brunswickers have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine," said Russell during Wednesday's news update. "That’s a tremendous accomplishment, but we must do more. We will use every tool at our disposal to increase our vaccination rate, but we will need your help to get us to Green. There are approximately 45 per cent of appointments through June 7 currently unbooked at our RHA clinics, so this is your call to arms - we need your arms, to fill those clinics.”

New Brunswick has received a total of 583,225 doses of COVID-19 vaccine since Dec. 15.

CONFIRMED CASE AT FREDERICTON AREA HIGH SCHOOL

N.B. health officials say a positive case of COVID-19 has been confirmed at Nackawic Senior High School and the school community has been notified.

Wednesday is an operational response day and learning will resume online on Thursday, June 3, and Friday, June 4. School staff will contact families directly should there be any further impact on learning.

Anyone who has been in close contact with a case will be notified by Public Health.

N.B. COVID-19 CASE DATA

New Brunswick has had 2,227 cumulative cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

In total, 2,043 people have recovered, and 43 people have died in the province from COVID-19-related causes.

There are currently seven people hospitalized in total. Five of these patients are hospitalized in New Brunswick, including two in intensive care. One patient is hospitalized out-of-province, in an intensive care unit.

Public health says 2,500 tests were completed on Tuesday in New Brunswick, and 338,414 total since the start of the pandemic.

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

• Zone 1 – Moncton region: 463 confirmed cases (42 active cases)
• Zone 2 – Saint John region: 294 confirmed cases (four active cases)
• Zone 3 – Fredericton region: 395 confirmed cases (79 active cases)
• Zone 4 – Edmundston region: 751 confirmed cases (no active cases)
• Zone 5 – Campbellton region: 185 confirmed cases (no active cases)
• Zone 6 – Bathurst region: 101 confirmed cases (14 active cases)
• Zone 7 – Miramichi region: 38 confirmed cases (one active case)

YELLOW LEVEL REMINDER

All of New Brunswick is under the yellow level of recovery under the province’s order.