N.B. COVID-19 roundup: 1 new case, double-dose vaccination rate hits 30%

Public Health reported one new case of COVID-19 Monday and more than 30 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers are now fully vaccinated.

A total of 5,783 second doses were administered Sunday, pushing the number of New Brunswickers aged 12 and older who have received both doses to 209,173, or 30.2 per cent.

Another 570 New Brunswickers got their first dose, bumping the first-dose vaccination rate to 77.5 per cent.

The province's goal is to have 75 per cent of the eligible population fully vaccinated by Aug. 2, New Brunswick Day, to reach the green phase of recovery and lift all Public Health restrictions.

"It's a very exciting time," said Health Minister Dorothy Shephard. "I think New Brunswickers are eager to get to green."

She noted the two-dose vaccination rate among those aged 65 and older is 54.7 per cent.

So "that gives us a tremendous amount of protection," since they are considered more vulnerable to the respiratory disease.

The Public Health Agency of Canada warned Friday that the Delta variant could cause a worse-than-expected fourth wave of the pandemic in Canada this fall if it becomes the dominant strain.

If it does become the dominant strain, at least 80 per cent of the eligible population will have to be double-dosed before protective measures are fully lifted, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said.

New Brunswick will "certainly respect the targets that we put in place," said Shephard.

But ideally, she'd like to see every eligible New Brunswicker vaccinated, she said, because it "dramatically lowers" the chances of serious illness, hospitalization, ICU admission and death.

The province will continue to keep a close eye on case numbers and variants, the health minister said.

"If we have to pivot, we will pivot, but I'm quite confident that we're on a path now that's going to show us getting to green and really having that life back that we're all looking for."

Asked how confident she is the province will reach its 75 per cent target by Aug. 2, Shephard said the numbers Monday looked "really good."

"We just keep trying to ensure that we're delivering the message that these [clinic] opportunities are here," she said, adding she expects some pop-up clinics to be announced in the coming days to make it more convenient for some people to get vaccinated.

Government communications officials are also still busy assessing who isn't getting vaccinated and why to determine whether the province's messaging needs to be changed "to offer a confidence of some sort," Shephard said.

People are eligible for a second dose once at least 28 days have passed since their first dose.

They can book a vaccination appointment online through a Horizon or Vitalité health network clinic or through a participating pharmacy.

For their second-dose appointment, they are asked to bring a copy of the record of immunization they received after getting their first dose, a signed consent form and their medicare card.

26 active cases

New Brunswick has 26 active cases of COVID-19, Public Health said Monday.

The one new confirmed case is someone in their 50s in the Moncton region, Zone 1. The case is under investigation.

Four people are in hospital in New Brunswick with the respiratory disease, one of them in intensive care.

A total of 361,476 COVID tests have been conducted, including 431 on Sunday.

There have been 2,326 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic started, with 2,254 recoveries and 45 COVID-related deaths.

Province declines AstraZeneca shipment

Six provinces are getting shipments of AstraZeneca this week, but New Brunswick isn't one of them.

New Brunswick turned down receiving any more AstraZeneca doses from the federal government and is looking to give away some of the supply it has left, including more than 1,000 doses that are set to expire within a couple of days, Department of Health spokesperson Shawn Berry confirmed.

"New Brunswick has declined more AstraZeneca vaccine as we have enough vaccine to offer second doses if needed. In almost all cases, an mRNA vaccine is now being offered to New Brunswickers for their first dose," he said in an emailed statement.

"For those who received AstraZeneca/Covishield COVID-19 vaccine as a first dose, regardless if they are under 55 years or 55 years and older, an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is now being offered for the second dose. However, if an mRNA vaccine is contraindicated or the patient wants a viral vector vaccine, AstraZeneca/Covishield can be offered."

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization recently updated its recommendations for people who received AstraZeneca for their first dose to say an mRNA vaccine is "preferred" as the second dose and mitigates the rare risk of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) — a condition that causes blood clots combined with low platelets, the committee said.

Two New Brunswickers have died from VITT after getting the AstraZeneca vaccine. Two others also suffered blood clots following vaccination, but recovered.

About 43,000 New Brunswickers received a first dose of AstraZeneca and as of June 18, only about 4,100 had received two doses.

"Knowing that we can use [an] mRNA vaccine after AstraZeneca has given us a lot of flexibility and that supply has been consistent," said Health Minister Dorothy Shephard.

New Brunswick has about 170 doses of AstraZeneca in stock that are expiring June 30 and another 950 doses that were set to expire May 31 but were extended by Health Canada until July 1, said Berry.

There are also 10,323 doses expiring at the end of August and 200 doses expiring at the end of October.

"We are currently in discussions with the National Operating Centre to make a plan to redistribute some of the doses that may not be required in New Brunswick," he said.

The federal government's COVID-19 vaccine shipments and deliveries website shows Canada has 795,000 doses of AstraZeneca from the United States to distribute from June 28 to July 4.

In the Atlantic region, Prince Edward Island is the only province scheduled to receive any, with 1,000 doses allotted.

The five other provinces are: Ontario (250,000 doses), Quebec (226,000), B.C. (30,000), Alberta (20,000), and Saskatchewan (15,000).

The remaining 252,600 doses will be administered by Ottawa, which is responsible for vaccinating members of the military and federal inmates.

New Brunswick is slated to get 80,220 doses of Moderna this week, according to the federal government's website, and 49,130 doses of Pfizer.

A delayed shipment of 49,130 doses of Pfizer that was supposed to be delivered on June 21 arrived a "few days late," the health minister said.

No COVID-19 releases on weekends, holidays

The province will no longer issue regular COVID-19 news releases on weekends or holidays, Public Health announced Monday.

Updates on the number of cases, vaccination rates and certain other information will continue to be available seven days a week on the COVID-19 dashboard, it said.

2 charged with failing to stop at P.E.I. checkpoint 

Two people have been charged after allegedly failing to stop at the COVID-19 checkpoint at the Confederation Bridge on Saturday, police say.

A man and woman in a truck with a New Brunswick licence plate "purposely" drove around the check stop in Borden and then travelled toward Charlottetown, according to a news release issued Sunday by the Charlottetown Police.

RCMP provided information about the vehicle and it was located at a restaurant. Local police found the occupants, who were "uncooperative and would not identify themselves," according to the release.

The woman eventually identified herself, was given a ticket under the Public Health Act and escorted back to New Brunswick. The man was held in custody and is facing charges of obstructing police.

There have been at least two recent incidents of motorists filming themselves crossing the bridge and driving around barriers without stopping. The videos have been posted to social media accounts.

RCMP are warning anyone tempted to drive through the COVID-19 checkpoint at the Confederation Bridge to think twice.

Atlantic COVID roundup

Nova Scotia reported four new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. The province now has 57 active cases.

Newfoundland and Labrador confirmed one new case and has six active cases.

Prince Edward Island has no active cases. Five visitors to the Island tested positive after rapid tests at the Borden-Carleton Confederation Bridge entry point, but PCR tests later came back negative.

New public exposure

Public Health has identified a positive case of COVID-19 in the Fredericton region, Zone 3:

• Lake George Petro Canada Gas Station and Restaurant, 10 Route 635, Lake George, June 19, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Public Health is offering COVID-19 testing to anyone who has been in a public exposure area, even if they are not experiencing any symptoms. Residents may request a test online or call Tele-Care 811.

People experiencing one or more symptoms are also encouraged to get tested.

Previous public exposures

Public Health has identified a positive case of COVID-19 in a traveller who may have been infectious while on the following flights:

• Air Canada Flight 404 – from Toronto to Montreal, departed at 8:30 a.m. on June 18.
• Air Canada Flight 8902 – from Montreal to Moncton, departed at 12:45 p.m. on June 18.

Public Health has also identified numerous potential public exposures to the coronavirus in many communities across the province, so many that it has stopped listing them individually in its daily news release.

A detailed list of the potential exposures, including the locations and dates, is available on the government's COVID-19 website. It is updated regularly.

What to do if you have a symptom

People concerned they might have COVID-19 symptoms can take a self-assessment test online. 

Public Health says symptoms shown by people with COVID-19 have included:

• Fever above 38 C.

• New cough or worsening chronic cough.

• Sore throat.

• Runny nose.

• Headache.

• New onset of fatigue, muscle pain, diarrhea, loss of sense of taste or smell.

• Difficulty breathing.

In children, symptoms have also included purple markings on the fingers and toes.

People with one of those symptoms should:

• Stay at home.

• Call Tele-Care 811 or their doctor.

• Describe symptoms and travel history.

• Follow instructions.