N.B. reports 65 new COVID-19 cases Friday; circuit breaker changes come into effect

One circuit breaker ends, another begins Much of the Miramichi region is now under circuit breaker restrictions, while Saint John has their's lifted. Laura Lyall reports.

HALIFAX — Health officials in New Brunswick are reporting 65 new COVID-19 cases and 65 recoveries on Friday, as 580 active cases remain in the province.

Friday's new cases were identified in the following zones:

According to health officials, 42 of Friday's 65 new cases, or 65 per cent, are unvaccinated and 23 cases, or 35 per cent, are fully vaccinated.

The province says there are currently 19 people in hospital in New Brunswick due to COVID-19, with 11 in an intensive care unit. Of those currently in hospital, 15 are unvaccinated, one is partially vaccinated and three are fully vaccinated.

Of the 11 people in the ICU, nine are unvaccinated, one is partially vaccinated and one is fully vaccinated.

CIRCUIT BREAKER MEASURES

As of 6 p.m. Friday, there will be several changes to the ongoing circuit breaker measures in New Brunswick.

The Saint John region (Zone 2) will see its circuit breaker measures lifted at 6 p.m. Friday, but parts of the Moncton region (Zone 1) will have circuit breaker measures extended for at least another week.

“Most of the new cases we are reporting today in the Saint John region are people who were already isolating and then received confirmation from a PCR test that they were positive,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health in a news release. “However, we are seeing some new cases in the Charlotte County region, so we will continue to monitor the situation. At this time, Public Health remains comfortable removing the circuit breaker for Zone 2, but we ask people to please remain vigilant and follow public health measures.”

The circuit breaker will continue for another seven days in parts of Zone 1 (Moncton region) but will be reduced to only cover the municipalities of Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview. The other areas of Zone 1 currently in a circuit breaker will have those restrictions lifted on Friday at 6 p.m.

During Wednesday’s news update, N.B. health officials announced that circuit breaker measures will be implemented in most of the Miramichi region (Zone 7) as of 6 p.m.

“The Miramichi region currently has one of the highest positivity rates in the province, which is why the circuit breaker measures are necessary,” said Russell. “Our contact tracers are working hard to trace the spread so that we can have a better idea exactly how it is being spread throughout the community. Sticking to the circuit breaker measures, such as not having any household gatherings, will help limit the spread.”

The circuit breaker will be in effect for all of Zone 7 with the exception of Black River Bridge and communities to the east, Murray Settlement and areas south, and New Jersey and communities north.

More information about the circuit breaker rules, including a detailed list and map of affected communities, is available online.

CASE DATA

New Brunswick has had 7,069 cumulative cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

In total, 6,367 people have recovered and 121 people have died in the province from COVID-19.

Public health says a total of 535,074 COVID-19 tests have been processed since the start of the pandemic.

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

VACCINE UPDATE

As of Friday, 86.3 per cent of New Brunswickers age 12 and older are fully vaccinated and 93 per cent have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

In total, 1,248,811 vaccine doses have been administered in New Brunswick.

All provincial government employees, staff in long-term care facilities and staff and volunteers in schools and licensed early learning and child-care facilities must be fully vaccinated by Friday, Nov. 19.

All eligible New Brunswickers can book their second dose appointments now for a date that is at least 28 days after their first dose.

CASES IN SCHOOLS AND CHILD-CARE FACILITIES

New Brunswick Health officials say 69 early learning and child-care facilities have had confirmed cases of COVID-19 since Sept. 7.

A new case has been confirmed at Garderie Tourbillon De Soleil in the Campbellton region (Zone 5). Public Health says close contacts and their families.

You can find information on cases in schools on the Healthy and Safe Schools website and the COVID-19 dashboard.

POTENTIAL PUBLIC EXPOSURES

A full list of potential COVID-19 exposure notifications in New Brunswick can be found on the province's website.

Anyone with symptoms of the virus, as well as anyone who has been at the site of a possible public exposure, is urged to request a test online or call Tele-Care at 811 to get an appointment.