Another resident at a special care home in New Brunswick has died as a result of COVID-19, the province announced in a news release Thursday.
The person was in their 80s and was a resident at Pavillon Beau-Lieu in Grand Falls, which is currently experiencing an outbreak. They are the fourth person at the home to die of COVID-19 this week.
“I encourage all New Brunswickers to keep this person’s grieving family and friends in their thoughts and prayers,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health, in the release.
“I share my sincere sympathies with everyone who has been affected by this loss.”
The province also reported 11 new cases of the virus, but it includes 10 travel-related cases of New Brunswick workers who are isolating outside of the province.
Seven of the new cases involve people from the Bathurst region and includes a person in their 20s, a person in their 30s, three people in their 40s, and two people in their 50s. They are all travel-related.
Two of the new cases involve people from the Saint John region: a person in their 20s and a person in their 40s. One case is travel-related and one is under investigation.
There is one case each in the Fredericton and Campbellton regions, which are both travel-related and involve people in their 50s.
The province currently has 142 active cases. Six patients are in hospital, including two in intensive care. On Wednesday, 1,598 tests were conducted.
The release also said the Dr. Georges-L-Dumont University Hospital Centre’s microbiology laboratory in Moncton recently confirmed the province’s first case of the variant originally identified in Brazil. It involved a case in the Bathurst region that was previously reported.
Vaccine eligibility
Children aged 12 to 15 who have a complex medical condition or two or more chronic conditions are now eligible to schedule an appointment to get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the province said Thursday.
People can schedule an appointment through the Vitalité or Horizon health networks. A parent or guardian needs to schedule the appointment and provide consent for the vaccination under the age of 16.
“Children aged 12 to 15 who do not have chronic or complex medical conditions will become eligible for vaccination later this spring at the same time as all those under the age of 19,” the release said.