New Brunswick speeding up appointments for second doses of COVID-19 vaccine
Anyone in New Brunswick who received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before May 1 can now book an appointment for their second dose.
"As the number of fully vaccinated New Brunswickers increases and as travel restrictions and border measures are eased, we expect there will be more COVID-19 cases in New Brunswick," said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health. "This is why it’s important for all New Brunswickers who are able to get their second dose to do so once they are eligible. Those who are not vaccinated will be at highest risk for having severe symptoms and hospitalization."
To get their second dose, New Brunswickers are asked to bring a signed consent form, their Medicare card, and a copy of the record of immunization provided after receiving their first dose. If possible, residents are asked to book an appointment at the same pharmacy or clinic at which they received their first dose.
You can book an appointment through a participating pharmacy or at a Vitalité or Horizon health network clinic.
Anyone 12 and older who has not received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine is also eligible to book an appointment.
"If you received Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech, you can book an appointment for either vaccine for your second dose," Public Health wrote in a news release. "They work the same way and have similar levels of safety and effectiveness."
PROVINCE CONFIRMS FOUR NEW CASES
Public Health reported four new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.
Three of the cases are in Zone 3 (Fredericton region) and the other case is in Zone 6 (Bathurst region). All four cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
This raises the number of confirmed cases in New Brunswick is 2,309 since the pandemic began. One person recovered since Wednesday, so the number of active cases rises slightly to 61. Six people are in hospital in New Brunswick, including two in an intensive care unit.
There have been 45 deaths in New Brunswick since the pandemic began.
On Wednesday, Public Health conducted 1,171 tests to raise the overall total to 354,805.
PHASE 2 ON THE PATH TO GREEN
The provincial government's second phase on the path toward the Green level of the COVID-19 reopening plan went into effect on Wednesday at midnight.
Dr. Jeff Steeves is the president of the New Brunswick Medical Society. He says, while the pandemic is hitting a new stage, it is still a pandemic.
"Seventy-five per cent of us are vaccinated, we're transitioning this more into a cold," said Steeves. "It won't disappear. We will probably have COVID infections but we'll be keeping people out of the hospital from being long haulers, from becoming very ill and reducing their risk passing it on."
Public health says it is confident the healthcare system can handle the expectation that new cases will pop up.
"However, none of us wants to be part of those new cases and we will expect new cases under these opening up guidelines, so it's really important to continue to do the same things we've been doing, wearing a mask, washing our hands, staying six feet apart," said Barbara Mackinnon with the New Brunswick Lung Association.
Full details about the province’s path to Green are available online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.