New Brunswick reported 76 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday — a new single-day record — and the province’s 49th death related to the disease.
The person who died was an individual in their 80s living in the Fredericton region, the province said in a release.
“I am saddened to hear that we have lost another person to this virus and offer my sincere sympathy to the loved ones of the deceased,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health for New Brunswick.
There are now 557 active cases in the province, the most since the pandemic began.
Two more people have been hospitalized since Tuesday’s update, for a total of 26. Fifteen of them are in ICU.
In a news conference earlier this week, Dr. Russell said projections for this week suggest the province will soon see more than 100 cases per day.
“We’re on a steady incline towards that,” she said. “I don’t think there’s any change to that projection or trajectory at this point.”
She also pleaded with New Brunswickers to get vaccinated in order to protect the community and relieve strain on the health-care system.
“We need to make as much progress as we can as quickly as we can,” she said.
“It’s not about the volume of cases. It’s about who’s getting infected and the impact that this is having on our already strained health-care system.”
The province said Wednesday that 86.8 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 78.1 per cent are fully vaccinated.
New masking, proof of vaccination policies
The province ushered in some new rules this week in response to the rapidly rising case numbers.
People will need to show proof of vaccination for certain events and businesses, such as restaurants, gyms, and movie theatres. Those who have a medical exemption will have to show proof.
Indoor masking is once again mandatory for all public spaces, which includes weddings, funerals and public transportation.
Businesses or people who break these rules under the Public Health Act could be fined between $172.50 and $772.50.
As well, anyone entering the province must now pre-register through the New Brunswick Travel Registration Program.
New cases
The province said 58 of the 76 new cases are not fully vaccinated. It did not say if the person who died was vaccinated.
Of the new cases, 15 are in Zone 1, the Moncton region. They involve four people aged 19 and under, two people in their 20s, three people in their 30s, two people in their 40s, two people in their 50s, a person in their 60s and a person in their 70s. Nine of these cases are under investigation and six are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
There are six cases in Zone 2, the Saint John region, involving a person aged 19 and under, a person in their 20s, three people in their 30s and a person in their 40s. Two are under investigation and four are contacts of a previously confirmed case.
Thirty-one cases are in Zone 3, the Fredericton region. They involve 17 cases in people 19 and under, five people in their 20s, four people in their 30s, a person in their 40s, two people in their 70s, a person in their 80s and a person aged 90 and over. Of those, 22 are under investigation and nine are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
There were 14 new cases in Zone 4, the Edmundston region, involving four people aged 19 and under, two people in their 20s, two people in their 30s, two people in their 50s, a person in their 70s and three people aged 90 and over. Seven cases are under investigation and the other seven are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Seven of the new cases were in Zone 5, the Campbellton region, involving four people 19 and under, a person in their 30s and two people in their 40s. Six of these cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases and one is under investigation.
There are two new cases in Zone 6, the Bathurst region, which are both under investigation. They involve a person in their 30s and a person in their 80s.
Lastly, there is one new case in Zone 7, the Miramichi region, involving a person in their 60s. That case is a contact of a previously reported case.
Provincial rapid outbreak management team
The province said it has activated its provincial rapid outbreak management team at 15 locations across the province, mostly at long-term care homes.
“Members of the team are providing various levels of assistance at these sites depending on the requirements of each location,” the release said. “Continuous testing at these facilities is happening on a rotational basis.”
Those locations are:
- Harvest House, in Moncton
- Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, in Bathurst
- Manoir Brise de l’Oasis, in Bathurst
- Foyer Lillianne Ouellette, in Campbellton
- Sugarloaf Manor, in Campbellton
- Campbellton Nursing Home, in Campbellton
- Drew Nursing Home, in Sackville
- Tobique First Nation (Neqotkuk)
- Residence Alouette, in Dieppe
- Villa Sormany, in Robertville
- Villa des Chutes, in Grand Falls
- Macleod’s Too, in Bath
- Victoria Glen Manor, in Perth-Andover
- River View Manor, in Hartland
- Résidence Le Royal, in Bathurst
School and child-care facility cases
The province also said positive COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in schools and childcare facility in the Fredericton, Edmundston and Campbellton regions.
“The respective school or child-care communities have been notified,” the release said.
“If you or a family member have been in close contact with a case, you will be notified by Public Health or by the school or facility for contact tracing. If you do not hear directly, you have not been identified as a close contact.”
It said schools with cases will close or move to online learning for at least one day to “support contact tracing, risk assessments and operational responses.”
In Zone 3, the Fredericton region, cases have been confirmed at Enterprise Centre School, Barkers Point Elementary School and the Preschool Centre on Windsor Street in Fredericton.
In the Edmunston region, cases were identified at Saint Mary’s Academy in Edmunston, École Saint-Jacques in Edmunston, Les p’tits trésors de Steph in Drummond, Garderie Au rêve des anges in Edmundston and Valley View Kids Care in Grand Falls.
And in Zone 5, the Campbellton region, cases were identified at Garderie les Débrouillards in Val-d’Amour and Garderie le p’tit monde de Jessie in Eel River Crossing.