N.B. COVID-19 roundup: Province expands eligibility for 2nd dose, announces 3 new cases

New Brunswick expanded second-dose COVID-19 vaccine eligibility Friday to people who got their first dose before May 15, and announced three new cases of the respiratory disease.

Health Minister Dorothy Shephard said additional vaccine doses are arriving in the province.

"Because of this, we are pleased to be able to expand eligibility so more New Brunswickers can book an appointment for their second dose," she said in a statement.

On Monday, eligibility to book second-dose appointments will be opened up to include everyone, as long as at least 28 days have passed since their first dose.

Up until Friday, only people who had been vaccinated prior to May 1 were eligible to book their second shot.

New Brunswick, which has been pushing to boost its vaccination rate on its COVID-19 path to green, has repeatedly encouraged people who received Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech as their first vaccine to choose whichever one becomes available first for their second dose.

"If you received Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech, you can book an appointment for either vaccine for your second dose," it said again in a news release Friday. "They work the same way and have similar levels of safety and effectiveness."

But the National Advisory Committee on Immunization now recommends that people who received Moderna or Pfizer as their first shot get the same product for their second shot.

Although both are mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccines and can be considered "interchangeable," the second shot should match the first unless "the same product is not readily available, or the product used for the first dose is unknown," NACI said Thursday.

On Wednesday, the province's the chief medical officer of health had asked "everyone to be flexible in their choices of vaccines." Dr. Jennifer Russell said it would help "to move us down our path [to green, free of Public Health restrictions] more quickly."

The province is scheduled to get 175,000 doses of Moderna over the next two weeks, but there are only 82,000 New Brunswickers who received Moderna as their first dose who are still waiting for their second dose, she said.

"So if you received a Pfizer product in the first round, you can have Moderna for your second dose," Russell said during the COVID briefing. "This means that you can receive your second dose more quickly as a result of this extra shipment of Moderna, offering you more protection sooner, protecting our communities and helping our province reach the green level."

Now that the province has entered Phase 2 of the path to green, with eased travel restrictions and border measures, Russell expects to see an increase in COVID-19 cases and more variants. But as more people get vaccinated, the cases are expected to be less severe, resulting in fewer hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths.

New Brunswick's online vaccination booking tool lets people choose whether they want Pfizer of Moderna as their second dose.

A booking confirmation message advises, however, that "there may be last-minute changes in the clinics and you may receive either Moderna or Pfizer."

Department of Health spokesperson Shawn Berry did not say if or how NACI's recommendations will change the province's vaccination plans.

"If you received Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech, you can book an appointment for either vaccine for your second dose," he reiterated in an emailed statement.

"Moderna and Pfizer work the same way and have the same levels of safety and effectiveness. Like many medications you may take, when the active ingredient is the same, they work the same way."

"It's important that people get fully vaccinated as soon as possible," he added.

When someone books an appointment online and selects a clinic providing a particular type of vaccine, that is the vaccine allocated and sent to that clinic, said Berry.

"To date, there have been no instances where we were unable to provide the designated vaccine at a clinic."

AstraZeneca recipients should get different 2nd dose

NACI has also changed its recommendations for people who received AstraZeneca for their first dose. It now says an mRNA vaccine is "preferred" as the second dose.

An mRNA vaccine as a second dose also mitigates the rare risk of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) — a condition that causes blood clots combined with low platelets, the committee said.

Two New Brunswickers have died from VITT, after getting the AstraZeneca vaccine. Two others also suffered blood clots following vaccination, but recovered.

People who already have had two doses of AstraZeneca "can rest assured that the vaccine provides good protection against infection and very good protection against severe disease and hospitalization," NACI said.

In New Brunswick, people 55 or older who got AstraZeneca as their first dose can still choose to have it as their second dose, with informed consent, or opt for Pfizer or Moderna instead, Berry confirmed Friday.

For those under the age of 55, Public Health still recommends getting Moderna or Pfizer as their second dose, unless contraindicated, he said.

"Anyone who received AstraZeneca as a first dose can book an appointment for an mRNA vaccine," said Berry.

About 43,000 New Brunswickers received a first dose of AstraZeneca and about 4,100 have received two doses.

Of the remainder, Berry could not say how many have already received a different vaccine for their second dose.

He did not say how many doses of AstraZeneca the province still has in stock, but earlier this month it had about 4,000 doses that were set to expire May 31, but were extended by Health Canada until July 1.

No new shipments of AstraZeneca are currently scheduled.

A total of 75.9 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers aged 12 or older have now received at least one dose of a vaccine, while 15.9 per cent have received two doses, according to the COVID-19 dashboard.

The goal for Phase 3 of the path to green is to have 75 per cent of the eligible population fully vaccinated by Aug. 2, New Brunswick Day.

Appointments can be booked online through a Horizon or Vitalité Health Network clinic, or through a participating pharmacy.

54 active cases, revised case count

The three new cases of COVID-19 reported Friday are all in the Fredericton region, Zone 3. They include two people in their 70s and person 80 to 89.

All three cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases.

There are now 54 active cases of COVID:

• Moncton region, Zone 1: 3
• Saint John region, Zone 2: 0
• Fredericton region, Zone 3: 30
• Edmundston region, Zone 4: 1
• Campbellton region, Zone 5: 0
• Bathurst region, Zone 6: 19
• Miramichi region, Zone 7: 1

Six people are hospitalized in the province, including two who are in an intensive care unit.

Public Health has revised the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in New Brunswick because the lab determined a case previously identified in the Moncton region, Zone 1, was a false positive.

New Brunswick has had 2,311 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with 2,211 recoveries so far and 45 COVID-related deaths. 

A total of 355,721 tests had been conducted, including 916 on Thursday.

Premier pushes for July opening to U.S.

Federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair announced Friday that Canada's border to the U.S. will remain closed to non-essential travel until at least July 21.

"Our number one priority as we fight #COVID19 is keeping Canadians safe. In coordination with the U.S., we are extending restrictions on non-essential international travel and with the United States until July 21st, 2021," he posted on Twitter.

The government will provide details Monday of plans to let fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents enter the country, he said.

Premier Blaine Higgs says he pushed for a July opening to the U.S. during Thursday night's call with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his fellow premiers.

New Brunswick's path to green calls for the province to be open now to travellers from Maine with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine with no isolation required, under Phase 2, which took effect at midnight Wednesday. But this is on hold, as federal regulations supersede provincial guidelines.

The province's plan also calls for international travellers to be allowed in with reduced restrictions under Phase 2, but is pending changes to the federal regulations.

The leaders also discussed vaccination records, said Higgs.

He expects a nationwide policy that will likely include some kind of digital vaccine passport, he said.

"It will be used universally across the country, so that will make it easier for people moving through our province," Higgs said. "But also, it's very important for anyone who wants to travel abroad. So we'd need it for those purposes anyway.

"So I don't think it's going to be much of a challenge for people to say, 'Well, yeah, I may want to travel, so I might be one of the first ones to get it.' But we'll want it for international travellers coming into our province."

Atlantic COVID roundup

Nova Scotia reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, putting its active case count at 93.

Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new cases on Friday. The province has 22 active cases.

P.E.I. has reported no new cases since June 3. There are no active cases.

Latest public exposure

Public Health has identified a potential public exposure to the coronavirus in the Fredericton region, Zone 3:

• Pentecostal Gospel Lighthouse Church, 283 Slope Road, Minto, June 6 to June 18.

Public Health is offering COVID-19 testing to anyone who has been in a public exposure area, even if they are not experiencing any symptoms. Residents may request a test online or call Tele-Care 811.

People experiencing one or more symptoms are also encouraged to get tested.

Previous public exposures

Public Health has identified numerous potential public exposures to the coronavirus in many communities across the province, so many that it has stopped listing them individually in its daily news release.

A detailed list of the potential exposures, including the locations and dates, is available on the government's COVID-19 website. It is updated regularly.

What to do if you have a symptom

People concerned they might have COVID-19 symptoms can take a self-assessment test online. 

Public Health says symptoms shown by people with COVID-19 have included:

• Fever above 38 C.

• New cough or worsening chronic cough.

• Sore throat.

• Runny nose.

• Headache.

• New onset of fatigue, muscle pain, diarrhea, loss of sense of taste or smell.

• Difficulty breathing.

In children, symptoms have also included purple markings on the fingers and toes.

People with one of those symptoms should:

• Stay at home.

• Call Tele-Care 811 or their doctor.

• Describe symptoms and travel history.

• Follow instructions.