HALIFAX —
New Brunswick is reporting 23 new cases of COVID-19 – the most new cases in one day – bringing the number of active cases to 71.
On Saturday, the province announced the new cases, which include 16 cases in Zone 2, six cases in Zone 1 and one case in Zone 3.
“We are facing a serious situation with new transmission of the virus in New Brunswick. I know this is a direct relationship between what’s happening in our province and what’s happening across the country in other jurisdictions in terms of the record number of increase in cases across Canada, in the U.S.; globally in the U.K., in Europe,” said chief medical officer of health, Dr. Jennifer Russell.
“Our situation can quickly turn very serious if we do not take immediate actions to slow the spread of this disease.”
23 NEW CASES
The six cases in Zone 1 (Moncton region) are as follows:
one individual under the age of 19
one individual in their 20s
three people in their 30s
one individual in their 60s
The 16 cases in Zone 2 (Saint John region) are as follows:
two people under 19
three people in their 20s
one individual in their 30s
five people in their 40s
two people in their 50s
one individual in their 60s
two people in their 80s
One case in Zone 3 (Fredericton region) is an individual in their 30s.
All cases are self-isolating and under investigation.
“What is happening in our province, with the rapidly rising number of active cases, shows just how fragile our bubble is,” said New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs. “This is a critical time for our province, but we can still turn this around. We need everyone – employers, businesses and residents alike – to do what is right for themselves and everyone.”
“We know most are complying in public places, but some are letting their guard down – and that is leading to the situation we are in, but it’s not too late,” said Health Minister Dorothy Shephard. “We know what we need to do in order to turn this around.”
CASES THROUGHOUT N.B.
The number of cases are broken down by New Brunswick’s seven health zones:
Zone 1 – Moncton region: 126 confirmed cases (32 active cases)
Zone 2 – Saint John region: 63 confirmed cases (30 active cases)
Zone 3 – Fredericton region: 81 confirmed cases (7 active cases)
Zone 4 – Edmundston region: 8 confirmed cases
Zone 5 – Campbellton region: 137 confirmed cases
Zone 6 – Bathurst region: 5 confirmed cases (2 active cases)
Zone 7 – Miramichi region: 4 confirmed cases
The province recently announced that residents can take an online self-assessment if they are experiencing mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms.
RECOVERY EFFORTS
Zone 1 and Zone 2, areas that spans from Southfield to Campobello Island, are now in the orange phase of recovery.
“To bring them back into the yellow phase and keep the rest of the province at that level we need a renewed commitment to slowing the spread of COVID-19 and we need it now,” said Russell. “Everyone needs to reduce their close contacts to the lowest number possible.”
Russell noted the unobservable nature of the virus.
“I can assure you that the people who are transmitting COVID-19 are not aware they are transmitting COVID. I can assure you that the people who are being infected with COVID-19 are not aware that they’re being infected with COVID-19,” said Russell. “It is a very subtle and very discouraging type of virus and transmission because it is silent. We don’t know it’s happening, but it is happening.”
OUTBREAK AT NURSING HOME
Public Health declared an outbreak on Friday at Shannex Tucker Hall, a nursing home in Saint John.
On Friday, 421 tests were conducted at the Parkland Shannex campus. As of 9:30 a.m. on Saturday 106 tests have been processed from Tucker Hall, with three new positives in that area, for a total of four confirmed cases to date in the facility.
Meanwhile, the microbiology lab continued to process its remaining tests on Saturday.
EXPOSURE NOTIFICATIONS
On Saturday, Public Health identified a positive case in a traveller who may have been infectious on Nov. 07 while on the following flights:
Air Canada Flight 0992 – from Mexico City to Toronto arrived at 7:20 p.m.
Air Canada Flight 8918 – from Toronto to Moncton arrived at 11:43 p.m.
There is a process Public Health follows when addressing instances where the public may have been exposed to a person who has tested positive for COVID-19. In cases where record-keeping is able to confirm and identify anyone who may have been exposed, officials contact these individuals directly and do not issue a separate announcement. In cases where officials cannot be certain of exactly who may have been exposed to the virus, Public Health issues a public announcement in an effort to reach anyone who could have been affected.
COLLECTION OF CONTACT INFORMATION
Controlled venues at which seating is offered for the purposes of eating, drinking, socialization, celebration, ceremony or entertainment are required to maintain a record of the names and contact information and the time of all persons who attend.
Keep information in a secure place and not in the public view. More information can be found in Collection of names and contact information under the Mandatory Order COVID-19. A form businesses can print off to assist them can also be found there.
ENFORCEMENT
Police officers and peace officers, as well as public health inspectors with the Department of Justice and Public Safety and inspectors with WorkSafe New Brunswick, are in Zones 1 and 2 to make sure the rules are being followed.
People who refuse to comply with provisions of the mandatory order will face penalties.
“We can’t go on as if our case numbers were still low – that’s not possible,” said Russell. “They are not low anymore and there is a significant risk that they were climb higher in the days to come.”
A NOTE ON MASKS
Russell noted mask wearing might provide residents with a false sense of security.
“Once that [transmission] happens it is very hard to get under control without the cooperation of every single citizen doing their part,” said Russell, adding masks don’t guarantee safety. “Just because you have a mask on does not mean you can get closer to people.”
VEHICLE TRAFFIC INFORMATION
New Brunswick’s online dashboard includes information about vehicle traffic attempting to enter the New Brunswick border.
On Friday, 1,998 personal and 1,060 commercial vehicles attempted to cross the border into the province.
Of the vehicles attempting to cross the border, 26 were refused entry, for a refusal rate of 0.9 per cent.
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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