New Brunswick announced two more deaths due to COVID-19, 69 new cases, and 51 recoveries on Thursday.
Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health, said despite the deaths the province is seeing “hopeful signs” that the 4th wave is receding in New Brunswick.
However, she is concerned with the rising cases seen in Zone 2, the Saint John region.
She said there has been a steady increase in COVID-19 cases in the region through the past week and it now has the highest positivity rate in the province.
Zone 2 will enter a 14-day circuit breaker beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday to address the high number of COVID-19 transmissions in the region.
The circuit breaker restrictions can be found here.
Premier Blaine Higgs acknowledged at a COVID-19 briefing that the past few weeks have been tough, but said circuit breaker measures have had a positive impact.
As of Thursday, active cases and hospitalizations have been trending down.
So far, there’s a total of 547 active cases across the province. There are 31 people in hospital, and 16 in the ICU.
Beginning Nov. 1, New Brunswickers 65 and over, and education staff will be able to book an appointment for an mRNA booster shot, provided six months have passed since their last dose.
Russell said health officials are working on a plan to immunize children aged 5 to 11 if and when vaccines are approved for that age group.