N.B. COVID-19 roundup: 'Enhanced' pandemic plan coming, says Higgs
Dr. Jennifer Russell announces 2 new cases, urges New Brunswickers not to be 'lulled' by low numbers
An "enhanced" New Brunswick pandemic operational plan could be made public as early as Thursday, says Premier Blaine Higgs.
It will provide "details and guidance" on how the health-care system will handle increased cases of COVID-19, he said.
"I can tell you this plan takes both worst-case and best-case scenarios into account," Higgs told reporters during the daily update in Fredericton on Tuesday.
"This will allow us to prepare for any and all situations we may encounter as this pandemic continues."
But if the province heeds the lessons learned in other jurisdictions, and continues to follow Public Health's directions on staying home as much as possible and physical distancing, Higgs said he is "optimistic" that New Brunswick "will indeed be able to weather this crisis."
New Brunswick has a couple of advantages in slowing the spread of the virus, he said. It is largely rural with a population spread out over a large distance.
There are two new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New Brunswick, bringing the province's total to 70, the chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell announced at the briefing.
Nine people have recovered from the virus and one person remains in hospital.
But people should not be "lulled by a few days of modest increase in case numbers," Russell said — especially now that we know COVID-19 is spreading in the province through community transmission.
"We can't lose focus," she said.
"We need everyone to stay on their guard and work together to get us through this pandemic."
Higgs said he knows there will be more confirmed cases in the weeks to come. He has been working closely with the Horizon and Vitalité health authorities to ensure the health-care system has the ability to handle the strain.
The enhanced plan will look at issues such as the "level of preparedness" of hospitals and the "conditions of supplies," he said.
It will be presented to the all-party COVID-19 cabinet committee, as well as cabinet, for input, Higgs said.
Once it's approved, it will be presented to the public.
Hospitals are now at about 60 per cent capacity and "in a good position to treat patients who require critical care," the premier said.
About 115 seniors who were in hospital beds awaiting alternate levels of care, such as nursing homes, have been moved out in recent weeks to make way for anticipated COVID-19 patients, he said.
The province is monitoring supply of testing equipment and personal protective equipment, Higgs added.
New Brunswick is also part of a national procurement system that will provide supplies to provinces based on their needs.
Here is a roundup of other developments.
6 cases still under investigation
The two new COVID-19 cases announced Tuesday are:
- An individual in their 60s in Zone 3 (Fredericton region).
- An individual in their 20s in Zone 4 (Edmundston region).
One of the new cases is travel-related, the other is a close contact of a travel-related case, said Russell.
Of the 70 cases, 42 are travel-related, 19 are close contacts of travel-related cases, three are community transmissions and six are still under investigation, she said.
On Monday, Russell confirmed COVID-19 is now spreading in the province through community transmission.
Until recently, all of the cases of the viral infection have been directly or indirectly related to travel, but there are now cases in health zones 1, 2 and 4 (the Moncton, Saint John and Edmundston regions) that can't be linked to travel, she said.
There are other possible cases of community spread under investigation in other regions, she said. But she declined to disclose any specifics, saying she didn't want to give anyone a false sense of security.
Russell defends restraint in information about cases
The New Brunswick government is not identifying the communities where confirmed cases of COVID-19 exist because it wants to protect people who have the virus from "reprisals," Russell said Tuesday.
The province also wants people with symptoms to feel comfortable getting tested.
"We do not want there to be a feeling that people who may have been infected may not be comfortable coming forward," she said.
Russell didn't explain what she meant by reprisals or say if anything specific had occurred that would provoke such a fear.
She noted she has received questions from the news media and from people on social media about her approach to sharing information with the public.
Different jurisdictions have taken different positions on public health versus the right to privacy.
"There are several reasons around why we give certain information and why we don't," Russel said. "And the most important consideration is privacy."
Someone diagnosed in a small community or village could be identified if the community were named, she said.
"We've been very careful to protect that privacy and confidentiality."
Last week, Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, said he's heard that people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have been harassed in their community and on social media.
"I would hate to think that was happening in our province," Russell said.
Education plan to be released this week or next
Premier Blaine Higgs says an education plan will be rolled out later this week or early next week.
Right now, the New Brunswick Department of Education is working on a possible virtual learning plan for students during the COVID-19 outbreak
This is the third week public schools have been closed in New Brunswick.
Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have announced schools will be closed until May.
Higgs said New Brunswick doesn't have an exact date as to how long schools will be closed but said it will be in line with other provinces.
Grand Manan seeks restrictions on travel to island
With its small population and limited health resources, Grand Manan is calling on the New Brunswick government to restrict travel to the Bay of Fundy island.
Mayor Dennis Greene is asking the province for travel restrictions that would allow only residents to leave and enter the island, as well as services that provide food and essential products.
"We're very concerned because of being a small island and as close-knit as we are, but there's only so much that the village can do," Greene said.
Grand Manan, about 50 kilometres south of Black's Harbour, has a population of about 2,400.
The island is only accessible by ferry and has a seven-bed hospital.
If someone on the island experienced symptoms of COVID-19, they would be sent to Saint John if necessary for treatment, Greene said.
To date, the mayor said, there haven't been any cases on Grand Manan. There are no COVID-19 testing sites on Grand Manan and the closest one is in Saint John, about 120 kilometres away.
"I'm worried more every day," he said.
"We don't want to get into the curve that's on the mainland, and so we're doing everything we can to try to prevent this."
Grand Manan wanted to declare its own state of emergency separate from the province, after realizing that many people had returned home from travelling abroad.
But Greene was told by the province that declaring a state of emergency wasn't necessary, as Grand Manan is covered under the provincial declaration.
The province also suggested the island reduce the number of ferry runs, but Greene said this would force more people onto the ferry at one time and increase risks of the virus spreading.
The Grand Manan V and the Grand Manan Adventure ferries make a total of four trips a day, except over the summer months, when they make three additional trips.
"We want the number of trips [to stay the same] because if we cut down trips, we're putting more people onto what trips we have and that's what we're trying to get rid of."
Coastal Transport Ltd., a company that operates ferries in Eastern Canada, has put in place several protocols for its ferries.
All individuals showing flu or cold like symptoms are advised not to travel and may be refused passage. Coastal Transport has also stopped serving food on the Grand Manan Adventure until further notice.
Greene and the province are also discussing additional steps, including taking people's temperatures before they get on the boat.
Scams surge during outbreak
From offers of free face masks to fake emails from the World Health Organization, COVID-19 scams are spreading across the country.
The Better Business Bureau is warning people to beware of scammers looking to take advantage of people during the pandemic.
"I'm really, really sad and frankly a bit angry to say that they have ramped up in frequency in the last couple of weeks," said Peter Morehouse, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau for the Atlantic provinces.
Morehouse said most scams are through text messaging.
One of the more popular scams involves someone impersonating the Canadian government, saying a cheque has been deposited as part of Canada's emergency response relief fund.
In other parts of North America, scammers are going door-to-door selling what they're claiming is a miracle disinfectant.
"Any way they'll get to you, they will."
Morehouse said people should be cautious engaging through text messages or phone calls they haven't initiated.
People should also avoid clicking on links in emails and never offer up personal details or financial information on a website unless it's legitimate.
If a person has recently been a victim of fraud, they can report it to bbb.org/scamtracker or the Canadian Anti-fraud Centre. If a person has lost money because of a scam or feel like they are at risk, they should contact the RCMP.
Newcomers learn French and English online
Multicultural centres across the province are providing translation services to newcomers who don't speak English or French.
The Saint John Newcomers Centre is helping its clients, many of whom can't speak English or French, navigate directives from the government.
The centre will start virtual English conversation sessions next week.
Saint John's PRUDE Inc., an organization that tries to integrate cultural communities, has transferred its classes online, including English classes.
There, students have been asked to review COVID-19 news stories.
"It's so indefinite when we're going to actually get to be back in a classroom with everybody," said Amanda Beckwith, PRUDE's language and community integration adviser.
"So it's best that we keep doing it so that nobody loses their momentum."
The Multicultural Association Fredericton is also offering online sessions.
The organization has a list of tips of how to respond to COVID-19 in a variety of different languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Swahili.
Artists to stream live performances online
The provincial government has teamed up with Music NB, a group that promotes New Brunswick's music community, to support musicians by broadcasting live performances on social media.
Starting next week, Music NB will broadcast 30 to 60-minute performances from New Brunswick artists — performing from home — on its Facebook page. The date and the musician have not been confirmed.
"This is a small gesture and a way for some part of the industry to get a little bit of help," said Jean Surette, executive director of Music NB.
Performance applications will be open until the program runs out of funds. Selected artists will receive up to $2,000 for their live-stream performances.
Artists can apply for the concert program on Music NB's website. And a selection committee will vet the applications.
Most performances will be solo, in keeping with the government's physical distancing rules. Band performances are only permitted if the band is isolating together.
Surette says the organization has slots for up to 40 artists.
What to do if you have symptoms?
Symptoms of coronavirus include fever, cough or breathlessness. In this case, residents should:
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Stay at home.
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Immediately call Tele-Care 811.
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Describe symptoms and travel history.
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Follow instructions carefully.
With files from Sarah Morin