HALIFAX -- New Brunswick is reporting seven new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, including two travel-related cases of New Brunswickers who are isolating outside the province, as the active number of cases in the province drops to 113.

Of Saturday's new cases, two are in the Saint John region (Zone 2) and involve:

  • An individual in their 40s.
  • An individual in their 50s.

One of these cases is travel related, while the other is a close contact of a previously reported case.

Four cases are being reported in the Fredericton region (Zone 3) and involve:

  • Two individuals 19 and under
  • Two individuals in their 50s.

Three of the cases in Zone 3 are close contacts of a previously reported case, and the other is related to travel outside the province.

One case is in the Bathurst region (Zone 6) and involves an individual in their 50s who had travelled outside the province.

Ten of New Brunswick’s previously reported cases are now considered recovered, as the number of active cases drops to 113.

N.B. COVID-19 CASE DATA

New Brunswick has had 2,052 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

In total, 1,897 people have recovered and 41 people have died in the province from COVID-19-related causes.

There are currently eleven people hospitalized in total; seven of these patients are hospitalized in New Brunswick, including two in intensive care units. Four patients are hospitalized outside of New Brunswick.

Public health says 1,704 tests were completed on Friday in New Brunswick, and 312,610 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: 418 confirmed cases (20 active cases).
  • Zone 2 – Saint John region: 286 confirmed cases (22 active cases).
  • Zone 3 – Fredericton region: 306 confirmed cases (34 active cases).
  • Zone 4 – Edmundston region: 748 confirmed cases (10 active cases).
  • Zone 5 – Campbellton region: 185 confirmed cases (2 active cases).
  • Zone 6 – Bathurst region: 75 confirmed cases (21 active cases).
  • Zone 7 – Miramichi region: 34 confirmed cases (4 active cases).

VACCINE UPDATE

With eligibility opening up and supply continuing to grow, a big surge is being seen in the number of New Brunswickers being vaccinated.

New Brunswick health says a new single-day record for COVID-19 vaccinations was set on Friday, with 11,535 doses administered.

According to New Brunswick's COVID-19 online dashboard, as of Friday, 349,662 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the province.

Approximately 45.7 per cent of the province's population eligible for the vaccine has received at least one dose.

“Vaccines are going to be the light at the end of the tunnel, to get us out of this, and people seem to be embracing that,” says Dr. Jeff Steeves, President of the New Brunswick Medical Society.

As of Thursday, anyone over the age of 30 is vaccine eligible.

“Watching the baby boomers embrace this a couple weeks ago was fantastic,” says Steeves. “For those over 75, about 90 per cent of people have been vaccinated. For over 70, it’s about 85 per cent, over 65 it’s 75 per cent, and over 50 its already 54 per cent.”

N.B. Health says over 2,300 people got a COVID-19 vaccine at the Saint John Exhibitions Grounds on Friday, the largest number to date for one clinic.

“I go on Tuesday and I am super excited. It’s the first step toward going back to normal,” says one New Brunswicker.

While the growing vaccine numbers are encouraging, there are also growing concerns about New Brunswick’s ongoing use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

While other province’s across Canada have stopped administering AstraZeneca due to reports of rare blood clots, New Brunswick continues to administer the vaccine, primarily for people over the age of 55 who are home bound.

“We’re offering second doses right now to people 55 and over who have already received the first dose of AstraZeneca,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick’s Chief Medical Officer of Health at a news update Thursday.

On Thursday, Russell said the department of health is still looking for direction on whether AstraZeneca recipients can opt to receive Moderna or Pfizer vaccines for their second shot.

“Over the course of the next two weeks, we will have information about whether we could provide an MRNA vaccine, or AstraZeneca for their second dose,” said Russell. 

NEW BRUNSWICK IN YELLOW ZONE

All of New Brunswick is currently in the yellow level of restrictions under the province's mandatory order.

Although the entire province is back in the yellow alert level, Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick's chief medical officer of health, says New Brunswickers must continue to do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19.

“Don’t take any chances with your health or the health of your family, friends and members of your community. If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, please get tested," said Russell.