HALIFAX —
New Brunswick is reporting three new cases of COVID-19.
On Sunday, the province gave an update and announced the three new cases all have been identified at the Manoir de la Vallée residential facility.
All of the latest cases range in age from 80 to 89.
The latest cases bring the provincial total of COVID-19 cases to 132. There are 12 active cases remaining in the province, all located in Zone 5.
“There is a possibility that the virus could spread beyond that region, because we know the incubation period is 14 days,” said Chief Medical Officer of Health Jennifer Russell. “We have a two week period ahead of us where we are going to be watching very carefully what is happening in that region and also around the province. We know that people have left that region since the time that there has been a transmission of COVID-19.”
Three people are currently in hospital, with one of those cases in an intensive care unit.
As of Sunday, 120 cases have recovered and there are zero deaths in the province.
To date, 26,172 tests have been conducted in New Brunswick. This includes over 1,300 tests processed on Saturday, which is the highest single-day amount since the pandemic began.
Manoir de la Vallée
“When we learned late last week that a healthcare worker, who has been infected with the virus, worked in a long-term care facility, Public Health took immediate steps to determine its spread,” said Russell. “All residents and staff were rapidly tested and steps were taken within the home to isolate residents from one another.”
Of the 12 active cases in N.B., five of the cases are at Manoir de la Vallée. The cases include one staff member and four residents. Russell added that the staff member didn’t work in any other facilities.
Extra-Mural Program professionals from Extra-Mural/Ambulance New Brunswick are on site at the long-term care facility coordinating clinical care for residents in collaboration with regional staff from the Department of Social Development, Department of Health and Vitalité Health Network. All staff and residents of the facility have been tested.
“I understand the stress that this is causing for residents and staff of the Manoir and their families. An outbreak at a seniors’ home is everyone’s greatest fear,”
said Russell. “Please be assured that our overriding priority is the health and safety of the residents and those who care for them.”
Russell noted care homes in the region will be tested within the coming week.
Premier Blaine Higgs said he knows it is upsetting to hear that the virus is connected to a long-term care facility.
“My thoughts are with the residents and front-line employees in this facility, as well as their families,” said Higgs. “This doesn’t just affect people who live in and around Campbellton, this impacts all New Brunswickers.”
Working together
Higgs also expressed his gratitude to everyone going above and beyond and working tirelessly to contain the province’s latest outbreak.
“I am grateful to all of the people who have been working on the front lines and behind the scenes,” said Higgs. “So many New Brunswickers are doing great work at this moment to contain the virus and put our province back on track.”
Return to orange
While most of the province is in the Yellow level of New Brunswick’s recovery plan, Zone 5 remains at the Orange level.
The following rules apply to Zone 5 only:
A two-household bubble is permitted. Your household can join up with one other household, if both households mutually agree. You must not have close contact with anyone else. You cannot join up with more than one household or bubble.
Non-regulated health professionals and businesses such as acupuncturists and naturopaths cannot operate at this time.
Personal services businesses such as barbers, hair stylists, spas, estheticians, manicurists, pedicurists, and tattoo artists cannot operate at this time.
Officials from WorkSafeNB and the Department of Public Safety remain in the area to ensure compliance. They will closely monitor and assess the situation in the days ahead. Those with concerns can contact a toll-free information line by calling 1-844-462-8387 or by emailing helpaide@gnb.ca.
Phase 3 continues with delays
The rest of New Brunswick is currently in the Yellow level of the COVID-19 recovery plan – allowing for the reopening of more business and activities.
The yellow phase of the province’s recovery plan will be rolled out in stages over the next few weeks. Health officials note that Public Health measures and guidelines must still be followed.
Due to the outbreak, activities previously scheduled to be permitted on Friday are being delayed until June 5 to allow time for officials to determine the extent of the current outbreak.
Activities being delayed include
Outdoor public gatherings of 50 people or fewer.
Indoor religious services, including weddings and funerals, of 50 people or fewer.
Low-contact team sports.
Openings being delayed include
swimming pools, saunas and waterparks
gyms, yoga and dance studios
rinks and indoor recreational facilities
pool halls and bowling alleys
Information on public health recovery phases, measures and guidelines is available online.
Keeping numbers low
To further slow the spread of the virus in the province, it is important to follow the following personal actions:
Stay in your own home, or within your two-household bubble, as much as possible.
Maintain two metres of physical distance between yourself and others when you go out.
When physical distancing cannot be maintained, face masks that cover your mouth and nose will be required to be worn in public.
Wash your hands thoroughly several times a day.
Avoid touching your face.
Cough or sneeze into your sleeve.
Regularly clean commonly touched surfaces in your home, such as doorknobs and countertops.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
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