FREDERICTON (GNB) – Premier Blaine Higgs said that vaccinating more children against COVID-19 and ensuring more adults receive their booster dose over the next week will help New Brunswick return to Level 2 of the winter plan on Jan. 30 at 11:59 p.m.

The province moved to Level 3 on Jan. 14 at 11:59 p.m. Since that time, Public Health has been monitoring the situation closely.

“Our ability to manage the situation is improving thanks to the dedication of multiple teams and volunteers. This is good news, and I hope this trend will continue,” said Higgs. “I understand the impact Level 3 restrictions have had on businesses and on individuals, and I know these circumstances are not ideal. These measures are in place now to reduce the strain on our health-care system and health-care workers.”

Parents and guardians can now book an appointment for children aged five to 11 to get their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine if at least eight weeks have passed since their first dose.

“It has now been exactly eight weeks since we held the first appointments for children aged five to 11 to receive their first dose of the vaccine,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health. “This is an important occasion. It means that, very soon, many kids will become eligible to receive their second dose, providing them with better protection against the highly contagious Omicron variant.”

To date, 53 per cent of children in this age group have received their first dose while the remainder – about 25,600 eligible children – have not.

Appointments for first or second doses are available across the province, and more will be made available in the days ahead.

Vaccinations

New Brunswickers eligible for booster doses of a COVID-19 vaccine are encouraged to book appointments. Booster doses are available to everyone 18 and older, as long as five months have passed since their second dose.

Appointments can be booked online at vaccination clinics offered through the Vitalité and Horizon health networks

Many pharmacies across the province are also offering vaccine clinics. Appointments can be made by contacting a participating pharmacy directly.

Those unable to book an appointment online, or who otherwise need assistance booking through a health authority clinic or pharmacy, may call 1-833-437-1424.

Since Jan. 10, more than 42,900 appointments have been booked with the regional health authorities for booster doses of an mRNA vaccine. The health authorities have more than 24,000 appointments available between now and Jan. 31. In addition, pharmacies have received nearly 75,000 doses for their COVID-19 clinics.

Hospitalizations

Public Health reported there are 14 people in intensive care and another 111 in hospital with COVID-19, for a total of 125 people hospitalized.

Of those currently hospitalized, 73 were admitted for reasons other than COVID-19.

There are currently 450 health-care workers who have tested positive for the virus and are isolating.

One hundred and two hospitalized patients with COVID-19 are 60 and over, and nine people are on a ventilator. Two people 19 or under are hospitalized. The seven-day rolling average of hospitalizations is available on the COVID-19 dashboard.

The rate of people hospitalized and in ICU continues to most greatly impact people who are unvaccinated and those who are over six months from their second dose. Information about the rates of cases and hospitalizations based on vaccination status, the age and origin of new cases, and additional information, is available on the COVID-19 dashboard.

Two people who had COVID-19 have died: one person 80-89 in Zone 2 (Saint John region) and one person 80-89 in Zone 5 (Campbellton region).

Updates to COVID-19 dashboard

The COVID-19 dashboard has been updated today to provide new information and to make it easier for users to find important data.

The dashboard has a new landing page that includes:

  • Hospitalization and ICU information, including an indicator of how the data has changed since the last report so users can easily see if the number of people in hospital has increased or decreased.
  • A clear breakdown of people who were admitted because of COVID-19 compared with those who were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for the virus.
  • The percentage of hospitalizations, ICU admissions, people on a ventilator and people who have died based on vaccination status. This will be further broken down into two categories: cases that have received their second dose within six months and/or have received their booster dose; and cases that are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or received their second dose more than six months ago and have not received their booster dose.
  • Vaccination rates, positive PCR and rapid-test results.
  • Information on the status of the health-care system, including the number of employees who have tested positive and are isolating, as well as hospital and ICU occupancy levels.

Learn more

The entire province is currently in the Level 3 phase of the winter plan to manage COVID-19. More information on the COVID-19 alert system, including guidance on public health measures, restrictions and the mandatory order, is available online.

Other useful links:

 

21-01-22