N.B. COVID-19 roundup: 24 new cases, province's vaccine stockpile complete

New Brunswick confirmed 24 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and nine recoveries. 

Public Health said in a news release that 92 per cent of the new cases are people who are not fully vaccinated. 

Six people are in hospital, including three in intensive care. 

The province now has 136 active cases of the respiratory disease. 

The 24 new cases break down this way: 

Moncton region, Zone 1, six cases:

• A person 19 and under
• A person 20 to 29 
• Three people 30 to 39 
• A person 40 to 49

All six cases are under investigation.

Saint John region, Zone 2, two cases:

• A person 50 to 59
• A person 70 to 79

Both cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases. 

Fredericton region, Zone 3, four cases: 

• A person 20 to 29
• A person 30 to 39
• A person 40 to 49 
• A person 60 to 69

Two cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases and two are under investigation.

Edmundston region, Zone 4, six cases: 

• Two people 19 and under 
• Three people 50 to 59
• A person 60 to 69 

Four cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases and two cases are under investigation

Campbellton region, Zone 5, five cases: 

• Two people 19 and under 
• A person 20 to 29 
• A person 30 to 39 
• A person 40 to 49

Three cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases, and two cases are under investigation.

Bathurst region, Zone 6, one case: 

• A person 50 to 59

The case is travel-related. 

So far the province has conducted 420,728 tests for COVID-19. 

N.B. vaccine stock complete

New Brunswick's stockpile of COVID-19 vaccine is complete for the time being, and the province won't receive any additional shipments from Ottawa.

The province has received more than 1.3 million doses of vaccine since distribution began last December.

And according to a federal government website that had been showing future distribution schedules since early this year, no more shipments to any provinces are in the offing.

"New Brunswick has received all of its requested allocations from the National Operating Centre," said Health Department spokesperson Gail Harding.

"With operations returned to a more traditional model, provinces now order vaccines based on demand."

Harding said the remaining stockpile of 182,273 doses as of Friday "meets demand for COVID-19 vaccination in the province. If more vaccines are required at a later date, we will secure the required amounts as needed."

In early 2021, demand for vaccines exceeded supply. But the pace of vaccinations levelled off over the summer. 

As of Friday, 85.4 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers aged 12 and older had received at least one dose and 76.6 per cent were fully vaccinated with two doses. 

If everyone with a first dose gets a second dose, it would leave enough doses for about 60,000 more people to be fully vaccinated.

That would amount to about 94 per cent of the eligible population and 84 per cent of the total population.

The federal government says it has distributed 63 million doses to the province and has 10.7 million doses on hand "to provide provinces and territories with continued access to vaccines for newly eligible populations, and additional doses that m​ay be needed over time."

Outbreak at Moncton shelter

Public Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Harvest House, the Moncton shelter and community centre.

There are now six confirmed cases at the shelter. 

"Following confirmation of one positive case, members of the Provincial Rapid Outbreak Management Team were deployed and residents and staff were tested," said Public Health. 

Metepenagiag outbreak rises to 9 cases

Another case of COVID-19 has been confirmed at Metepenagiag Mi'kmaq Nation, bringing the total in the community west of Miramichi to nine. 

Chief Bill Ward said the new case is directly connected to the original cluster of cases in the community first detected last Saturday. 

"Contact tracing has been completed for yesterday's case. Anyone with direct exposure has been notified to isolate and await testing," Ward said in a Facebook post Thursday night.

He said the community is hosting a pop-up testing site Friday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the parking lot of the Red Bank Health Centre. No appointments are required, and community members are welcome to drive or walk through the site for testing. 

"We are urging everyone to come get tested tomorrow," Ward said. 

Positive case at Riverview High School

The Anglophone East School District confirmed a case of COVID-19 at Riverview High School in a letter to parents Friday.

Unless instructed by Public Health, the school will be open as usual on Monday, acting superintendent Pamela Wilson said in the letter. 

Parents and staff will be contacted and told to self-isolate if they have been in contact with the confirmed case, reported the first week of the school year.

COVID vaccine clinic

A mobile vaccine clinic will be open in Fredericton on Saturday for those who have yet to receive their first or second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. It will be located at the New Brunswick Provincial Exhibition Centre and will run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

The clinic will be administering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. 

Atlantic COVID roundup

Nova Scotia reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. The province now has 78 active cases with 1 person in hospital. 

Newfoundland and Labrador confirmed 12 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and has 45 active cases.

Prince Edward Island has four active cases of COVID-19 after it reported no new cases as of Wednesday. 

New public exposure notices

Public Health has identified places in New Brunswick where people may have been exposed to the coronavirus during the past two weeks.

Moncton region, Zone 1:

• Sept. 5 between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. – Second Floor Nightclub, 837 Main St., Moncton
• Sept. 5 between 2 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. – Mama's Restaurant, 806 Main St., Moncton
• Sept. 4 between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. – Kelsey's Restaurant, 141 Trinity Dr., Moncton
• Sept. 4 between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. – Nita's Bar and Grill, 1999 Mountain Rd., Moncton 
• Sept. 3 between 7:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. – Café Cognito, 581 Main St., Moncton

Fredericton region, Zone 3:

• Sept. 4 between 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. – Upper Miramichi Rural Community Park, 6094 Route 8, Boiestown 

Edmundston region, Zone 4:

• Sept. 7 between 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. – Walmart, 494 Madawaska Rd., Grand Falls 
• Sept. 5 between 9:30 a.m. and noon – St. Patrick Catholic Church, 2154 Route 130, Limestone Siding 
• Sept. 3 between 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. – Walmart, 494 Madawaska Rd., Grand Falls
• Sept. 3 between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. – Canadian Tire, 383 Madawaska Rd., Grand Falls 
• Sept. 3 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. – Town Hall [Public Health Office, Mental Health Office, Social Development, Library, Police Office, Town Planning Office],131 Pleasant Rd., Grand Falls)
• Sept. 1 between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. – Walmart, 494 Madawaska Rd., Grand Falls

Campbellton region, Zone 5:

•  Sept. 4 – Restigouche Golf and Country Club, 30565 McLeods Rte. 134, Campbellton 
• Sept.4 and 5 – Life Church, 198 Roseberry St., Campbellton

Bathurst region, Zone 6:

• Sept. 8 between 8 a.m. and noon – NBCC – Bathurst Campus, Main Building,725 Collège Rd., Bathurst
• Sept. 4 between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. – Studio Olympus, 1079 Principale Rd., Beresford 

Previous exposure notices

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

• Aug. 29 – Air Canada Flight 8496 – from Toronto to Saint John departed at 2:56 p.m.
• Aug. 27 – Air Canada Flight 8904 – from Montreal to Moncton, departed at 10:28 p.m.

Public Health has also identified places in New Brunswick where people may have been exposed to the coronavirus during the past two weeks.

Moncton region, Zone 1:

• Sept.4 between 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. – Champlain Mall, 477 Paul St., Dieppe
• Sept. 1 between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. – The Third Glass Bar, 819 Main St., Moncton
• Aug. 31 between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. – 24/7 Fitness Club, 121 Pine Glen Rd., Riverview
• Aug. 31 between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. – Wise Guyz Pub, 176 Robinson St., Moncton
• Aug. 28 – Hynes Restaurant, 495 Mountain Rd., Moncton
• Aug. 28 between 1:15 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. – Dollarama, 105 Main St., Moncton
• Aug. 28 between 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. – Superstore, 165 Main St., Moncton
• Aug. 27 between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. – Costco, 140 Granite Dr., Moncton

Saint John region, Zone 2:

• Sept. 1 between 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. – Costco, 300 Retail Dr., Saint John

Fredericton region, Zone 3:

• Sept. 2 between 6:30 p.m. and 7:10 p.m. – Wetmore Street Pub, 530 New Maryland Highway, New Maryland
• Aug. 28 between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. – The MacShack, 22 Irishtown Rd., Stanley 

Edmundston region, Zone 4:

• Aug. 28 between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. – Walmart, 805 Victoria Rd., Edmundston
• Between Aug. 20 and Aug. 27 – Camping St-Léonard, 470 Route 17, Saint-Léonard
• Between Aug. 20 and Aug. 27 – Pinky's Roadside Diner, 470 Route 17, Saint-Léonard

Campbellton region, Zone 5:

• Sept. 5 between 2:45 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. – North Shore Cinema, 52 Roseberry St., Campbellton
• Sept. 4 between 7 p.m. and midnight – Balmoral Community Centre, 21 Centre Rd., Balmoral
• Aug. 30 to Sept. 4 – Chubby's Barber Shop, 81 A Roseberry St., Campbellton
• Aug. 28 between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. – Irving, 173 Renfrew St., Dalhousie
• Aug. 27 between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. – Brasserie 1026 Bar & Grill, 157 Water St., Campbellton

Bathurst region, Zone 6:

• Sept. 2 between 10 p.m. and 12:15 a.m. – Dooly's, 426 B St., Tracadie-Sheila
• Aug. 30 between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. – Sobeys, 1125 St. Peter Ave., Bathurst
• Aug. 28 between 10 a.m. and noon – Pur & Simple, 930 St. Anne St., Bathurst
• Aug. 27 between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. – Épicerie Frenette, 625 Principale Rd., Beresford
• Aug. 26 between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. – Joey's Pub & Eatery, 2050 St. Peter Ave., Bathurst
• Aug. 22, 28, 29 between 10 a.m. and noon – Gymnasia, 1935 St. Peter Ave., Bathurst
• Aug. 27 between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. – Walmart, 900 St. Anne St., Bathurst 

The full list of possible exposures is updated regularly and is available on the government's website.

What to do if you have a symptom

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

Public Health says symptoms of the illness have included a fever above 38 C, a new or worsening cough, sore throat, runny nose, headache, a new onset of fatigue, and 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 811 or their doctor and follow instructions.