News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – Public Health has confirmed two people have died as a result of COVID-19. This brings the total number of COVID-19-related deaths in the province to 68.

A person 80-89 and a person 90 and over in Zone 1 (Moncton region) have died.

“Marcia and I wish to express our sincere condolences to the loved ones of the people who have passed away,” said Premier Blaine Higgs. “This is a tragic reminder that our situation in New Brunswick remains very serious. I remain confident that we will see our active cases and hospitalizations decline soon, as long as we all do our part and follow the rules in place under the mandatory order.”

“All deaths from this disease are a reminder of the seriousness of COVID-19 and I offer my condolences to the families of those who recently died, as I know they are struggling,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health.

Public Health reported 75 new cases of COVID-19 today and 65 recoveries. The number of active cases is 767. Of the new cases, 48 or 64 per cent are unvaccinated, five or seven per cent are partially vaccinated and 22 or 29 per cent are fully vaccinated. There are 49 people hospitalized due to the virus, with 21 in an intensive care unit. No one under the age of 19 is currently hospitalized. Of those currently in hospital, 38 are unvaccinated, three are partially vaccinated and eight are fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 assessment centres

Delays for COVID-19 testing at assessment centres throughout the province have been resolved in all areas except for Zone 3 (Fredericton region).

Appointments are being booked between 24 and 48 hours in advance, with extended hours to increase capacity at some centres. Zone 3 is experiencing a backlog but it is expected to be resolved by the end of Tuesday.

Confirmed cases in schools and child-care facilities

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is working with Public Health to develop new approaches to address the present reality of the impact of COVID-19 in schools, including a wider use of rapid testing. The department will have more information to share on this in the coming days.

Positive cases have been confirmed in schools and child-care facilities in zones 1 (Moncton region), 2 (Saint John region), 3 (Fredericton region), 4 (Edmundston region), 5 (Campbellton region) and 6 (Bathurst region) since Friday, Oct. 1.

The respective school or child-care communities have been notified. If you or a family member have been in close contact with a case, you will be notified by Public Health or the school or facility for contact tracing. If you are not notified directly, you have not been identified as a close contact.

As per New Brunswick’s Healthy and Safe Schools guidelines, schools with cases will close or move to online learning for at least one calendar day to support contact tracing, risk assessments and operational responses. Districts have contacted families directly with specific information regarding any impact on learning, including information on home learning, if required.

Zone 1 (Moncton region) – A case was confirmed at the following schools: École l’Odyssée; Queen Elizabeth School; Forest Glen School; Hillsborough Elementary, all located in Moncton and École Notre-Dame. A new case or cases have been confirmed at the following previously impacted schools: Beaverbrook School; Edith Cavell School; Birchmount School; Harrison Trimble High School, Moncton High School; all located in Moncton and Riverview East School. A case or cases have also been confirmed at the following early learning and child-care facilities: Country Kids Day Care in Riverview; Le Garoussi in Moncton; Garderie Univers d’enfants II in Moncton; Institut Apprenti-Sage in Dieppe; and Club Ste-Thérèse 2 in Dieppe.

Zone 2 (Saint John region) – A case was confirmed at the following schools: Fairvale Elementary School in Rothesay; and Simonds High School and Forest Hill School, both located in Saint John. A new case has been confirmed at Sussex Elementary School, which was previously impacted. A case or cases have also been confirmed at the following early learning and child-care facilities: Janie’s Kid Zone in Quispamsis; and Garderie au Bourgeonnet and Garderie à petits pas, both located in Saint John.

Zone 3 (Fredericton region) – A case was confirmed at École Arc-en-Ciel in Oromocto. A new case or cases have been confirmed at the following previously impacted schools: Donald Fraser Memorial School in Plaster Rock and Townsview School in Woodstock.

Zone 4 (Edmundston region) – A new case or cases have been confirmed at the following schools, which were previously impacted: École Mgr-Martin in Saint-Quentin, École Marie-Gaétane in Kedgwick and École Élémentaire Sacré-Cœur in Grand Falls. A case or cases have been confirmed at the following early learning and child-care facilities: CPE Les Poussins in Clair; Garderie les Ribambelles en folies in Saint-Léonard and Garderie les Ptits amis de Amy in Grand Falls. A new case has also been confirmed at Centre Éducatif Les petits pas in Saint-Quentin, which was previously impacted.

Zone 5 (Campbellton region) – A case was confirmed at École aux Quatre Vents in Dalhousie. A new positive case was confirmed at Dalhousie Regional High School, which was previously impacted. A new case has also been confirmed at Garderie Dragon Day Care in Atholville which was previously impacted.  

Zone 6 (Bathurst region) – A case was confirmed at École François-Xavier Daigle in Allardville.

Since Sept. 7, 74 schools and 40 early learning and child-care facilities have had confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Vaccination update

Public Health reported today that 80.6 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 89.5 per cent have received their first dose of a vaccine.

If you have not yet had your first or second dose, you are asked to go to a walk-in clinic or book an appointment through a participating pharmacy or at a Vitalité or Horizon health network clinic as soon as possible.

All eligible New Brunswickers can book their second-dose appointments for a date that is at least 28 days after their first dose.

Those attending a vaccination clinic are asked to bring their Medicare card, a signed consent form and, for those receiving their second dose, a copy of the record of immunization provided after receiving their first dose.

A list of upcoming mobile and walk-in clinics is available online.

Regional breakdown of new cases

The 37 new cases in Zone 1 (Moncton region) are as follows:

• sixteen people 19 and under;
• two people 20-29;
• seven people 30-39;
• four people 40-49;
• three people 50-59;
• three people 60-69; and
• two people 70-79.

Thirty-one cases are under investigation and six are contacts of previously confirmed cases.

The four new cases in Zone 2 (Saint John region) are as follows:

• a person 19 and under;
• a person 30-39; and
• two people 50-59.

Three cases are under investigation and one is a contact of a previously confirmed case.

The seven new cases in Zone 3 (Fredericton region) are as follows:

• a person 19 and under;
• two people 20-29;
• a person 30-39;
• a person 40-49;
• a person 80-89; and
• a person 90 and over.

Four cases are under investigation and three are contacts of previously confirmed cases.

The 18 new cases in Zone 4 (Edmundston region) are as follows:

• five people 19 and under;
• three people 20-29;
• two people 30-39;
• a person 40-49;
• two people 50-59;
• four people 60-69; and
• a person 70-79.

Fourteen cases are under investigation and four are contacts of previously confirmed cases.

The six new cases in Zone 5 (Campbellton region) are as follows:

• a person 19 and under;
• a person 20-29;
• a person 30-39;
• two people 40-49; and
• a person 80-89.

Four cases are under investigation and two are contacts of previously confirmed cases.

The three new cases in Zone 6 (Bathurst region) are as follows:

• a person 19 and under;
• a person 60-69; and
• a person 80-89.

Two cases are under investigation and one is a contact of a previously confirmed case.

Additional information is available on the COVID-19 dashboard.

State of emergency and public health measures in effect

The provincial government is reminding New Brunswickers that, based on the current level of COVID-19 hospitalizations, a state of emergency and mandatory order is now in effect. It includes new measures to limit contacts, ensure physical distancing is maintained, and require certain businesses and events to have a vaccination or masking-and-testing workplace policy. Additional details are available online.

All current public health measures also remain in place, including the mandatory use of masks in indoor public spaces and the requirement to show proof of full vaccination when accessing certain events, services and businesses.

Anyone entering New Brunswick must pre-register through the New Brunswick Travel Registration Program.

Additional information about these measures is available online.

Potential public exposures

Anyone with symptoms of the virus, as well as anyone who has been at the site of a possible public exposure, is urged to request a test online or call Tele-Care 811 to get an appointment.