Another five people have died as a result of COVID-19 in New Brunswick, bringing the number of deaths in the province to 80.
In a release, the province said a person in their 60s in the Saint John region, a person in their 50s and a person in their 80s in the Fredericton region, a person in their 80s in the Campbellton region and a person in their 80s in the Bathurst region have died.
“It is important to remember that the numbers we report every day are people,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health, in the release.
“The Delta variant has hit us harder than any other wave and I encourage everyone to take the steps available to protect themselves and the people they love. Follow the rules in effect where you live and get fully vaccinated as soon as possible.”
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There are now 68 people in hospital due to the virus, with 27 in an intensive care unit. Of those in hospital, 44 per cent are unvaccinated, four are partially vaccinated and 20 are fully vaccinated. Of those in ICU, 21 are unvaccinated, three are partially vaccinated and three are fully vaccinated.
The province also reported 82 new cases of COVID-19 and 85 recoveries, leaving 1,074 active cases. Of the new cases, 43 per cent are unvaccinated, six per cent are partially vaccinated and 51 per cent are fully vaccinated.
“As a higher percentage of the population gets vaccinated, and as the virus moves across the province, it is expected that we will see more cases in vaccinated people,” said Russell.
“However, as a whole, there will be fewer cases among the vaccinated population in comparison to those that are unvaccinated, with fewer vaccinated people getting hospitalized and seriously ill compared to those who catch COVID-19 and are unvaccinated.”
According to the province, 81.6 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 90.9 per cent have received their first dose of a vaccine.
Circuit breaker in effect
Circuit-breaker restrictions remain in effect for parts of the province fighting to keep their COVID-19 numbers under control.
The restrictions impact Zone 1 (Moncton region) as far north as and including Sainte-Anne-de-Kent, Zone 3 (Fredericton region) in the upper Saint John River valley north of and including Florenceville-Bristol, and all of Zone 4 (Edmundston region).
Non-essential travel in and out of these areas is not allowed and residents must limit their contact to within their household bubble.
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“We continue to see a high number of cases in the areas where our circuit breaker restrictions are in place,” said Premier Blaine Higgs in the release.
“If you are in these areas, please follow all of the rules to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Five more lives lost to this virus is heartbreaking.”
All hospitals and health-care facilities have returned to red level protocols to address the strain on health-care workers and the system.
Cases in schools and child-care facilities
The province also said positive cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in schools and child-care facilities in Zone 1, the Moncton region, Zone 4, the Edmunston region, Zone 5, the Campbellton region, and Zone 6, the Bathurst region.
“The respective school or child-care communities have been notified,” the release said. “If you or a family member have been in close contact with a case, you will be notified by Public Health or the school or facility for contact tracing. If you are not notified directly, you have not been identified as a close contact.”
Schools with cases will close or move to online learning for at least one day to support contact tracing, risk assessments and operational responses.
In Zone 1, a case was confirmed at École le Sommet in Moncton, while a new case or cases have also been confirmed at Beaverbrook School, École Champlain, Birchmount School and Harrison Trimble High School. A case was also confirmed at JD Tae Kwon Do in Moncton.
In Zone 4, a case was confirmed at Cité des Jeunes A.-M.-Sormany in Edmundston and a new case was confirmed at École Régionale Saint-André.
In Zone 5, a case has been confirmed at L.E. Reinsborough School in Dalhousie.
And in Zone 6, a new case has been confirmed at École Le Tremplin in Tracadie.
Since Sept. 7, 98 schools and 47 early learning and child-care facilities have had confirmed cases of COVID-19.
New cases
Of the 82 new cases of COVID-19 announced Wednesday, 32 were in Zone 1, the Moncton region. They involve:
- six people 19 and under;
- a person 20-29;
- three people 30-39;
- three people 40-49;
- two people 60-69;
- five people 70-79;
- six people 80-89; and
- six people 90 and over.
Of those, 29 cases are under investigation and three are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
There are five new cases in Zone 2, the Saint John region, which involve:
- a person 19 and under;
- two people 20-29;
- a person 50-59; and;
- a person 60-69.
Four cases are under investigation and the other is a contact of a previously confirmed case.
There are 12 new cases in Zone 3, the Fredericton region, which involve:
- nine people 19 and under;
- a person 30-39;
- a person 50-59; and
- a person 70-79.
Ten cases are under investigation and two are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Zone 4, the Edmundston region, reported nine new cases, which involve:
- five people 19 and under;
- two people 30-39;
- a person 50-59; and
- a person 80-89.
Of those, five cases are under investigation and four are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
There are 18 new cases in Zone 5, the Campbellton region, which involve:
- six people 19 and under;
- two people 20-29;
- two people 40-49;
- three people 50-59;
- a person 60-69;
- three people 70-79; and
- a person 80-89.
Nine cases are under investigation and nine are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
There are for new cases in Zone 6, the Bathurst region, which involve:
- two people 19 and under;
- a person 20-29; and
- a person 40-49.
Three cases are under investigation and one is a contact of a previously confirmed case.
And the two new cases in Zone 7, the Miramichi region, involve:
- a person 30-39; and
- a person 50-59.
One case is a contact of a previously confirmed case and the other is under investigation.