N.B. COVID-19 roundup: 112 new cases; testing backlog ongoing in Fredericton

New Brunswick reported 112 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing active cases in the province to 1,019.

Thirty-nine people are in hospital with COVID-19, seven more than Saturday, the province said in a release Sunday.

That includes 14 in intensive care, up from 11 the day prior. Six people are on a ventilator, up from five.

Of those in hospital, 22 are over the age of 60, and one is under the age of 19.

"Eight of the 39 people hospitalized were initially admitted for other reasons and contracted COVID-19 due to outbreaks at hospitals in Moncton, Saint John and Miramichi," Public Health said in a release. "Most of these people are exhibiting mild to moderate symptoms.

"The rate of people hospitalized and in ICU, as well as new cases, continues to most greatly impact people who are unvaccinated."

Active cases were last reported to be above 1,000 in mid-October. A record 1,103 cases were reported on Oct. 14. 

A total of 82.3 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unchanged from the last update, and 88.4 per cent have received their first dose, up from 88.3 per cent.

The province's goal is to get at least 90 per cent of the total population fully vaccinated.

Breakdown of new cases

The new cases of COVID-19 announced Sunday are spread across all seven health zones, with the highest number declared in the Fredericton area.

Eighteen children aged nine or under were also among the case count, with 11 of those children in the Fredericton area.

Here is the regional breakdown:

Moncton region, Zone 1 — 19 cases:

• Four children aged nine or younger.
• A person 10-19.
• Three people 20-29.
• Three people 30-39.
• Five people 40-49.
• A person 50-59.
• A person 60-69.
• A person 70-79.

Ten cases are the contacts of previously confirmed cases, and nine are still under investigation.

Saint John region, Zone 2 — 15 cases:

• A child aged nine or younger.
• A person 10-19.
• A person 20-29.
• Four people 40-49.
• Three people 50-59.
• Three people 60-69.
• Two people 80-89.

Nine are under investigation and six are the contacts of previously confirmed cases.

Fredericton region, Zone 3 — 56 cases:

• 11 children aged nine or younger.
• 13 people 10-19.
• Eight people 20-29.
• Seven people 30-39.
• Ten people 40-49.
• Five people 50-59.
• A person 60-69.
• A person 70-79.

Thirty-six cases are still under investigation, and 20 are the contacts of previously confirmed cases.

Edmundston region, Zone 4 — five cases:

• A child aged nine or younger.
• A person 40-49.
• A person 50-59.
• A person 70-79.
• A person 80-89.

Three cases are the contacts of previously confirmed cases, and two are still under investigation.

Campbellton region, Zone 5 — three cases:

• A child aged nine or younger.
• A person 40-49.
• A person 60-69.

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

Bathurst region, Zone 6 — four cases:

• A person 20-29.
• A person 30-39.
• A person 50-59.
• A person 60-69.

All four are under investigation.

Miramichi region, Zone 7 — 10 cases:

• Two people 10-19.
• Two people 20-29.
• A person 30-39.
• A person 50-59.
• Three people 60-69.
• A person 80-89.

Six are under investigation, and four are the contacts of previously confirmed cases

New Brunswick has now recorded 9,604 cases of the virus and 8,443 recoveries.

A total of 577,683 tests have been conducted, including 1,467 that were done on Saturday.

Testing backlog ongoing in Fredericton area

Public Health says that it continues to experience delays in getting test results back to New Brunswickers in the Fredericton area.

The province said during a COVID-19 update on Friday that there were 820 tests awaiting completion, and that more staff was needed to process results.

Those who are unvaccinated, vaccinated individuals showing symptoms and those with a positive rapid test are currently being prioritized for appointments within the next 24 hours, with longer wait-times for others. 

"Additional resources will be added to the Fredericton assessment centre location today (Sunday) and tomorrow to help reduce any testing backlogs," Pubic Health wrote in a release.  

"Rapid point of care tests are very helpful in slowing the spread of COVID-19, but they only reflect your health status at the time of testing," they added.

Cases declared at more schools 

More cases of COVID-19 have been declared at schools across the province, including at least five English schools and two French schools.

The five schools with new cases include Saint Mary's Academy in Edmundston, Meduxnekeag Consolidated School in Bedell, Nashwaaksis Middle School in Fredericton, Hartland Community School, and Maplehurst Middle School in Moncton.

Students at four of these schools will be able to attend classes on Monday unless they are being asked to self-isolate by Public Health, the Anglophone West School District said in a letter to parents Sunday. 

"If there are changes to this, you will be advised," the district added.

The Anglophone East School District did not say classes would be cancelled Monday at Maplehurst Middle School when writing to parents Sunday. 

There has also been a case of COVID-19 declared at Polyvalente Thomas-Albert in Grand Falls, and another case declared at Carrefour de la Jeunesse in Edmundston, the Francophone Sud School District announced Sunday. 

No classroom closures were mentioned for the elementary school in Grand Falls, but the Edmundston elementary will be closing Monday, the school district said in a Facebook post. 

"Students who aren't double vaccinated against COVID-19 should continue to limit their contacts until we complete our contact tracing. They should also not go to our daycare during this time," the district wrote. 

Ten more schools were added to the list of schools in the province with active cases, according to the last update shared by the province on Friday. A total of 59 schools have students with active cases, the most recent data shows.

Atlantic COVID roundup

• Nova Scotia reported 111 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday. The news release did not include how many active cases are now in Nova Scotia, but there were 301 active cases on Friday.
• Prince Edward Island reported seven cases on Sunday, and has 37 active cases.
• Newfoundland and Labrador reported two cases on Friday, putting its active case count at 13.

Public exposure notices

The province also listed new sites of possible COVID-19 exposure on Sunday, with most concentrated in the Fredericton and Saint John region.

They include:

Moncton region, Zone 1:

• Nov. 28 between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. – McDonald's (22 Main St., Sackville)
• Nov.30 between noon and 2 p.m. – Skippers Jack's Maritime Restaurant (211 Mapleton Rd., Moncton)
• Dec. 2 and December 3 – Crowne Plaza Moncton (1005 Main St., Moncton)

Saint John region, Zone 2:

• Dec.1 between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. – Service New Brunswick (15 King Square N., Saint John)
• Dec. 5 and December 6 between 11 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. – Rocky's Sports Bar (7 Market Sq., Saint John)
• Dec. 6 between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. – Canadian Tire (885 Fairville Blvd., Saint John)
• Dec. 6 between midnight and 2 a.m. - Fish N Brews Pub (800 Fairville Blvd., Saint John)
• Dec. 6 between 6:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. – Sobeys (149 Lansdowne Ave., Saint John)
• Dec. 6 and Dec. 7 between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. - Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at Saint John (91 Waterloo St., Saint John)
• Dec. 6, Dec. 7 and Dec. 8 between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. – Irving Canaport Crude Oil worksite (2240 Red Head Rd., Saint John)
• Dec. 7 between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. – Shoppers Drug Mart (57 Lansdowne Ave., Saint John)
• Dec. 8 between 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. – Dan's Country Market (229 Churchill Blvd., Saint John)
• Dec. 8 between 3:30 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. – Atlantic Superstore (660 Somerset St., Saint John)
• Dec. 8 between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. – Jean Coutu (35 University Ave., Saint John)

Fredericton region, Zone 3:

• Nov. 28 between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. – Hope City Church (429 Clements Dr., Fredericton)
• Nov. 28 between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. – Abony Tennis Centre (596 Knowledge Park Dr., Fredericton)
• Nov. 28 and December 1 between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Fit for Less Gym (471 Smythe St., Fredericton)
• Dec. 5 between 2 p.m. and midnight - Harriet Irving Library, Innovation Hub UNB (5 MacAulay Ln, Fredericton)
• Dec. 4 between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. – Ringo's Grill (1185 Smythe St., Fredericton)
• Dec. 4 between 9:00 a.m. and 3 p.m. December 5 – Minor Hockey Tournament Under 11 River Valley Civic Centre (11 School St., Perth-Andover)
• Dec. 4 between 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. – Basketball Tournament UNB Currie Centre (15 Peter Kelly Dr., Fredericton)
• Dec. 5 between 9:45 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. – Corbett Church (55 Corbett Ave., Fredericton)
• Dec. 5 between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. – Diplomat Restaurant (253 Woodstock Rd., Fredericton)
• Nov. 30 between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. – GoodLife Fitness (435 Brookside Dr., Fredericton)
• Nov. 30, December 1, December 2, December 3, December 4 and December 5 between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. - GoodLife Fitness (435 Brookside Dr., Fredericton)

Edmundston region, Zone 4:

• Dec. 4 and December 5 between 2 p.m. and noon – Best Western Plus (187 Ouellette St., Grand Falls)

Campbellton region, Zone 5:

• Dec. 3 between 8 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. – Jacquet River Health Centre (41 Mack St., Belledune)

Miramichi region, Zone 7:

• Dec. 7 and 8 – Sistema (101 King St., Miramichi)
• Dec. 4 between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. – Knights of Columbus (345 Campbell St., Miramichi)
• Dec. 3 between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. – Knights of Columbus (345 Campbell St., Miramichi)

For the full list of public exposure notices, visit the provincial government's website.

People who have not been fully vaccinated at least 14 days prior to a possible exposure and who have symptoms should get a COVID lab test. They can book an appointment online or call Tele-Care 811 and must isolate while waiting for their test result.

People who are not fully vaccinated and do not have symptoms are now being instructed to pick up an At-Home COVID-19 Rapid Point of Care Test (Rapid POCT) screening kit. They do not need to isolate if they have not been directed by Public Health to do so.

All positive point-of-care test results must be confirmed with a laboratory polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, test.

It can take up to 14 days to test positive after being exposed to COVID-19, so even if results come back negative, people should continue to self-monitor for any symptoms and get tested immediately if any develop.

They should also avoid visiting settings with vulnerable populations, such as nursing homes, correctional facilities and shelters during that 14-day period.

For people who have been fully vaccinated at least 14 days prior to a possible exposure, Public Health recommends they monitor for symptoms for 14 days after the possible exposure and get a COVID lab test if symptoms develop.

They do not need to isolate while they wait for their test results.

If they do not have symptoms, they can pick up a rapid test kit and do not need to isolate.

What to do if you have a symptom

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

Public Health says symptoms of the illness have included a fever above 38 C, a new or worsening cough, sore throat, runny nose, headache, a new onset of fatigue and 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 811 or their doctor and follow instructions.