HALIFAX — New Brunswick is announcing four more deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the total number of people who have died of the disease in the province to 64. The latest deaths involve: “Marcia joins with me in expressing our sympathies to the families and friends of these four people,” said Premier Blaine Higgs. “This virus is affecting New Brunswickers of all ages. Healthy younger people are getting sick as well as older individuals. Of the 140 cases announced, 88 are under 40. Those in that age bracket are less likely to end up in hospital but they still carry and can transmit the virus.” “Four more New Brunswickers lost to the virus is a grim reminder of the continuing toll COVID-19 is taking on our communities and on people at every stage of life,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health. “We expected cases to climb and they may continue to do so for the next little while until we see the impact of the additional measures brought in last week. Despite the increase in cases, the number of hospitalizations from COVID-19 is manageable but we also know those admissions place an extreme burden on our healthcare facilities and impact other areas of our system.” Of the four New Brunswickers who died from COVID-19, one was a long-time firefighter in Fredericton. Barry Durling, President of Fredericton Fire Fighters’ Association said Trent Anderson, 39, worked in Fredericton for sixteen years. He said the community is shocked and called Anderson’s death an enormous loss. “Trent was a great guy, a great firefighter, an amazing father,” Durling said. “Smile that could light up a room. He had a little giggle that would make the rest of us all laugh when he got going.” Durling said Anderson was first admitted to the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional hospital in Fredericton and then transferred to the Saint John Regional hospital. “It was all within about a week’s time from the time he was hospitalized to the time of his death,” Durling said. SINGLE-DAY RECORD 140 NEW CASES Health officials in New Brunswick are also reporting a single-day record 140 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, along with 49 recoveries, as the total number of active cases in the province drops to 764. According to health officials, 94 of Saturday's 140 new cases, or 67 per cent, are not fully vaccinated. The province says there are currently 44 people in hospital in New Brunswick due to COVID-19, with 17 in an intensive care unit. Of those currently in hospital, 35 are unvaccinated and nine are either partially or fully vaccinated. Fifty-two new cases were reported in the Moncton region (Zone 1) involving: Forty-two cases are under investigation and ten are contacts of previously confirmed cases. Nine new cases were reported in the Saint John region (Zone 2) involving: Five cases are under investigation and four are contacts of previously confirmed cases. Twenty-three new cases were reported in the Fredericton region (Zone 3) involving: Sixteen cases are under investigation and seven are contacts of previously confirmed cases. Forty-one new cases were reported in the Edmundston region (Zone 4) involving: Twenty-one cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases and 20 are under investigation. Nine new cases were reported in the Campbellton region (Zone 5) involving: Five cases are under investigation and four are contacts of previously confirmed cases. Two new cases were reported in the Bathurst region (Zone 6), involving a person age 19 and under and a person in their 60s. Both cases are contacts of previously reported cases. Four new cases were reported in the Miramichi region (Zone 7) involving: Three cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases and one is under investigation. COVID-19 CASE DATA New Brunswick has had 4,412 cumulative cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. In total, 3,583 people have recovered and 56 people have died in the province from COVID-19. Public health says a total of 469,864 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 Saturday, 80.4 per cent of New Brunswickers age 12 and older are fully vaccinated and 89.4 per cent have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In total, 1,181,921 vaccine doses have been administered in New Brunswick. All eligible New Brunswickers can book their second dose appointments now for a date that is at least 28 days after their first dose. POTENTIAL PUBLIC EXPOSURES 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.
