Amherst mayor and OBGYN David Kogon says he hasn’t “heard too many concerns” from locals about New Brunswick’s COVID-19 situation.
Only two new cases were reported in New Brunswick Wednesday, following 39 over the four days prior.
Nova Scotia’s Department of Health is keeping a close eye on the situation.
But Kogon says he’s “not really surprised” by the case count, pointing out that most cases have been in people who are not fully vaccinated.
He hopes cases remain stable and that there isn’t a large increase, especially to prevent restrictions from being reimplemented.
“If public safety is threatened by rising counts, then yes that would happen. We hope it won’t. We hope that people comport themselves appropriately. We hope that people continue to get vaccinated,” he says.
“Because probably more important than case counts now, are the number of sick, sick people and the number of deaths. And those numbers are very, very, very small.”
New Brunswick’s last death connected to COVID-19 was reported by Public Health one month ago, July 4.
According to the provincial dashboard, two new cases were reported Wednesday. There are now 41 active cases in the province.
Health officials say 68.2 per cent of the eligible population is fully vaccinated, while 82.4 per cent has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Some people in Amherst worry about New Brunswick lifting its mandatory order.
“I feel that the masks are being removed too quickly,” says local resident Kathryn Gauci. “I would like to see what’s going on with the Delta variant right now.”
“Hopefully, it’s a good thing,” says seasonal resident Brian Babineau, who was born in Amherst. “But I don’t think they should be rushing too much.”
Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick’s top doctor, has said cases will climb when restrictions are removed and that hospitalizations are expected to remain low, but some say it was still too soon.
She is predicting the next premier of Nova Scotia, following the Aug. 17 provincial election, would reinstate border measures between the two Atlantic provinces.
Several people who didn’t want to appear on-camera say they aren’t bothered by the case count in New Brunswick. One person told Global News he expects COVID-19 cases will continue to rise, but just hopes deaths and hospitalizations remain low.
Nova Scotia’s Department of Health says it continues to “closely monitor the COVID-19 epidemiology of neighbouring provinces, including New Brunswick, and are aware of a recent cluster of cases in Moncton.”
“Nova Scotians who have recently been in Moncton should be aware of the latest exposure notification from New Brunswick Public Health and take recommended actions if they were at one of the locations listed here,” says Kristen Lipscombe, a media relations advisor for the department.
“The best way Nova Scotians can prevent COVID-19 infection is by having two doses of vaccine.”
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