New Brunswick reported 19 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday as it marked its third pandemic-related death of 2021.
Officials say the death is a 70 to 79-year-old who was a resident of Lily Court in Tucker Hall at Parkland Saint John.
The unidentified resident died as a result of underlying complications, including COVID-19.
Shannex, which operates the facility, released a statement on its website.
“This has been a tragic time for everyone at Tucker Hall, especially for the families of those we have lost,” said Derek Green, vice president of Shannex’s New Brunswick operations, in a statement.
The death at the facility now means New Brunswick has recorded three deaths this year — all residents of Lily Court — for a total of 12 people since the pandemic began.
Shannex also provided an update on further testing conducted at the Tucker Hall, which is considered to be experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak.
The latest round of tests at the facility found three new positive COVID-19 cases among residents and one additional employee.
There are now 14 active cases among residents and 11 active cases among employees.
As he did on Tuesday, Premier Blaine Higgs offered condolences from his wife, Marcia Higgs, and himself in a press release.
“On behalf of all New Brunswickers, we offer our sincere condolences to their family and friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those grieving at this difficult time,” Higgs said.
There are now 230 active cases of the coronavirus in New Brunswick as a result of seven additional recoveries from Tuesday.
The province has repeatedly acknowledged that the situation is now dire in the province; instituting new regulations and sliding all regions into the orange phase of New Brunswick’s COVID-19 recovery plan.
It’s illustrative to look back at the beginning of this pandemic to understand how quickly cases have spread during 2021 in New Brunswick.
The province recorded its first COVID-19 case on March 14, 2020. It then took 210 days for New Brunswick to report 238 cases.
Compare that to what has happened in the province since the start of 2021, where New Brunswick has now reported 237 cases in just 13 days.
Since the pandemic began the province has reported a total of 836 cases of the virus, of which 593 are considered to be recovered.
The 19 new cases reported on Wednesday are spread throughout the province in various health zones.
In the Moncton region, the province reported a single new case, an individual between the ages of 50 and 59.
The Saint John region reported five additional cases: an individual 19 years old or younger; an individual between the ages of 30 and 39; an individual between the ages of 50 and 59; an individual between the ages of 60 and 69; an individual between the ages of 70 and 79.
In the Fredericton region, there are three new cases: an individual 19 years old or younger; an individual between the ages of 20 and 29; an individual between the ages of 40 and 49.
New Brunswick reported eight new cases in the Edmundston area: an individual 19 years old or younger; an individual between the ages of 20 and 29; two people between the ages of 40 and 49; an individual between the ages of 50 and 59; an individual between the ages of 60 and 69; two people between the ages of 70 and 79.
The Campbellton region reported a single new case on Wednesday: an individual between the ages of 40 and 49.
The Bathurst region also reported a single new case: an individual between the ages of 30 and 39.
Health officials say all cases are self-isolating and are under investigation.
Two schools report confirmed cases
The province also issued a notification of confirmed COVID-19 cases at two schools in the province.
A single case has been confirmed at Edith Cavell School in Moncton on Tuesday. Students and staff were directed to stay home on Wednesday in order to allow for contact tracing.
The school will get in touch with parents to communicate what learning will look like for the rest of the week.
The second school to report a confirmed case is Cité Des Jeunes A.-M.-Sormany in Edmundston.
Students followed their normal schedules on Wednesday and officials say that no significant impact on learning is anticipated. However, some students will continue learning from home over the next few days.
In both cases, the province says that close contacts will be notified. If families have not been notified then they are not considered a close contact.
The province reported that it had completed 166,003 tests as of Tuesday.