HALIFAX -- New Brunswick Public Health reported seven new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.

Five of the new cases are in the Edmundston region (Zone 4) and there is one each in the Moncton region (Zone 1) and the Fredericton region (Zone 3).

This raises the number of active cases in the province to 48.

Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province's chief medical officer of health, said at a news conference in Fredericton that all of the new cases are travel related or close contacts of previously confirmed cases.

New Brunswick has had 1,484 cumulative confirmed cases since the pandemic began. In total, 1,405 people have recovered, and 30 people have died in the province from COVID-19.

One person is in hospital with COVID-19. No one is currently in intensive care.

Public health says 810 tests were completed on Wednesday in New Brunswick, and 243,016 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: 346 confirmed cases (10 active cases)
  • Zone 2 – Saint John region: 224 confirmed cases (2 active cases)
  • Zone 3 – Fredericton region: 245 confirmed cases (4 active cases)
  • Zone 4 – Edmundston region: 434 confirmed cases (16 active cases)
  • Zone 5 – Campbellton region: 182 confirmed cases (no active cases)
  • Zone 6 – Bathurst region: 28 confirmed cases (no active cases)
  • Zone 7 – Miramichi region: 25 confirmed cases (16 active cases)

VACCINE ROLLOUT EXPANDED

The province announced that, beginning Thursday, people 80 and older, regulated health professionals who have close contact with patients, and people with complex medical conditions are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

If you are 80 and older, or a caregiver or family member acting on someone's behalf, you can now make an appointment with a pharmacy, New Brunswick Public Health wrote in a news release.

"People with complex medical conditions are asked to review the list of select conditions included online prior to making an appointment and to print a copy of the declaration form," according to the public health release. "Those who meet the requirements may book an appointment online for a vaccination clinic organized by one of the regional health authorities."

If you are a regulated health professional – such as a dentist, physiotherapist, or optometrists, you be notified by your professional association when you are eligible to book an appointment.

The province also announced Thursday that all residents of long-term care facilities have had the opportunity to receive at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Starting Friday, a first dose of the vaccine will be available to all residents of First Nations communities aged 16 and over.

"We are making excellent progress on our vaccination plan and have made great strides towards protecting our most vulnerable residents," said Health Minister Dorothy Shephard. "We are now able to begin providing the vaccine to more groups. However, if you are not in one of the eligible groups, please do not try to make an appointment at this time."

RULE CHANGES FOR ROTATIONAL WORKERS

Starting next Friday at midnight, rotational workers in New Brunswick will no longer have to self-isolate if they have received their first dose of vaccine and 14 days have passed.

They will still have to get tested five and 10 days after arriving back in New Brunswick.

"Every traveller who enters New Brunswick comes with a level of risk," Shephard said. "Testing rotational workers will provide us with an extra layer of security and will allow us to track the virus."

NEW BRUNSWICK BUBBLING WITH PART OF QUEBEC

New Brunswick, however, announced Thursday it will establish a travel bubble with the Quebec regions of Temiscouata, Avignon and Listuguj First Nation.

Officials, however, said residents who plan to visit New Brunswick from these areas must not have travelled outside their home regions for at least two weeks prior to their entry into the province, or they must have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at least two weeks prior to travel.

New Brunswick Health Minister Dorothy Shephard called the development "exciting" but cautioned her province's ability to move forward would depend on its progress in curbing the virus over the next few weeks.

"If we see major outbreaks, we will be forced to delay openings of these travel bubbles," Shephard told reporters in Fredericton.

EXPOSURE NOTIFICATIONS

Public Health has identified a potential public exposure to the virus at the following locations in Edmundston:

  • McDonald’s Restaurant, 190 Hébert Blvd., on March 13 between 8:30 a.m. and 9:15 a.m.
  • Grey Rock Casino & Valley View Restaurant, 100 Chief Joanna Blvd., on March 14

Public Health has also identified a positive case in a traveller who may have been infectious on March 7 while on the following flights:

  • Air Canada Flight 414 – from Toronto to Montreal, departed at 2:18 p.m.
  • Air Canada Flight 8906 – from Montreal to Moncton, departed at 7 p.m.

People who travelled on these flights should self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days after the flight. Should any COVID-19 symptoms develop, they are directed to self-isolate and take the self-assessment online or to call 811 to get tested.

With files from The Canadian Press.