N.B. COVID-19 roundup: 62 cases, vaccination of young children expected to begin this week
Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon | CBC News | Posted: November 22, 2021 3:58 PM | Last Updated: November 22, 2021
First doses of Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty for children aged five to 11 expected to arrive Tuesday
Public Health reported 62 new cases of COVID-19 Monday and anticipates the province will begin vaccinating children aged five to 11 before the end of the week.
The first shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine for children in this age group is expected to arrive in the province Tuesday, according to a news release.
"The vaccine will be distributed throughout the province and it is anticipated that the first doses will be administered before the end of the week through regional health authority community clinics and participating pharmacies," the release said.
About 54,500 children will be eligible to receive the vaccine.
Health Canada approved its use Friday for children aged five to 11.
New Brunswick children who will turn five by Dec. 31, 2021, will also be eligible, said Department of Health spokesperson Gail Harding.
"Children born between 2010 and 2016 are eligible to receive the COVID-19 pediatric vaccine," she told CBC News.
Two weeks before school started, New Brunswick expanded eligibility for those aged 12 to 17 to include children who turn 12 this year. Youth aged 12 to 17 have been eligible for vaccination in the province since May 26.
Health Canada authorized a two-dose regimen for kids five to 11 years old, to be administered three weeks apart.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization, however, recommends the spacing between doses be increased to at least eight weeks, as evidence has been growing that a longer interval generates a more robust immune response.
The longer spacing might also help to decrease even further the risk of the rare side effect of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, NACI said.
The news release from Public Health did not indicate what the spacing between doses in New Brunswick will be.
Appointments for first and second doses, as well as for booster doses for those eligible, can be scheduled for a regional health authority community vaccination clinic through the online booking system or at a participating pharmacy.
A list of upcoming mobile and walk-in clinics is available online.
Canada received its first doses of the vaccine on Sunday evening, with a shipment landing in Hamilton. More than 2.9 million doses — enough to provide a first dose to every eligible Canadian child — are scheduled to arrive in Canada by the end of the week.
647 active cases
The 62 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed Monday and 55 more recoveries put the province's active case count at 647.
That's up from 640 after 157 new cases were reported over the weekend — 90 on Sunday and 67 on Saturday.
Thirty-three people are hospitalized because of the virus, an increase of one, including 15 in intensive care, a decrease of three.
No one under 19 is currently hospitalized, Public Health said.
A total of 87.5 per cent of New Brunswickers aged 12 or older are fully vaccinated, up from 87.4 per cent, and 93.4 per cent have received their first dose, which is unchanged.
The regional breakdown of the new cases include:
Moncton region, Zone 1 — 20 cases:
- Six people 19 or under
- A person 20 to 29
- Three people 30 to 39
- Seven people 40 to 49
- A person 50 to 59
- Two people 60 to 69
Thirteen of these cases are under investigation and seven are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Saint John region, Zone 2 — eight cases:
- Two people 19 or under
- Two people 20 to 29
- A person 30 to 39
- Two people 40 to 49
- A person 50 to 59
One of these cases is under investigation and the other seven are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Fredericton region, Zone 3 — 24 cases:
- Eight people 19 or under
- Four people 20 to 29
- Five people 30 to 39
- Three people 40 to 49
- Four people 50 to 59
Seventeen of these cases are under investigation and seven are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Bathurst region, Zone 6 — three cases:
- Two people 20 to 29
- A person 40 to 49
All three of these cases are under investigation.
Miramichi region, Zone 7 — seven cases:
- A person 19 or under
- Two people 40 to 49
- Three people 50 to 59
- A person 60 to 69
Five of these cases are under investigation and the other two are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
A total of 547,200 COVID-19 tests have been conducted to date, including 1,004 on Sunday.
New Brunswick has had 7,731 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, including 6,961 recoveries so far and 122 COVID-related deaths.
19 cases confirmed at 17 schools
Nineteen cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed at 17 schools in New Brunswick since Friday, the COVID-19 dashboard shows.
Twenty-one schools are now actively impacted since students returned to classes one week ago, after the provincial government reached a tentative agreement with striking Canadian Union of Public Employees late Nov. 13.
Monday has been an operational day for at least two schools in the Saint John region, Zone 2.
Seaside Park Elementary School and Beaconsfield Middle School students were learning from home, the Anglophone South School District posted on social media.
A positive case or cases have been identified at the following schools, which were not previously impacted:
- Nackawic Elementary School
- River Valley Middle School
- Belleisle Elementary School
- Seaside Park Elementary School
- Rexton Elementary School
- École Antonine-Maillet
- École Mathieu-Martin
A positive case or cases have also been identified at these previously impacted schools:
- Birchmount School
- Edith Cavell School
- Island View School
- Hartland Community School
- École Le Marais
- École Mont Carmel
- Bessborough School
- Beaconsfield Middle School
- Stanley Consolidated School
- Forest Hills School
A total of 472 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed at 132 schools since the beginning of the school year.
Rapid testing expands to child-care centres
The rapid-testing program has been expanded to include early learning and child-care centres, effective immediately, Public Health and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development announced Monday.
Children aged two and older and staff who are identified as a close contact of a confirmed case will be provided with either a five-,10- or 15-day supply of rapid tests. The supply would depend on the date of the last possible exposure to the confirmed case, according to a news release.
The rapid test kits and instructions may be provided directly through the daycare, it said.
Children will be required to self-isolate for at least 24 hours while they get their first two rapid tests.
They will be allowed to return to child care once they have recorded two negative tests and if they have no symptoms, unless otherwise advised by Public Health.
They will be required to continue to test daily until the end of the period prescribed by Public Health.
Children and staff identified as a close contact who get a positive rapid test result or have even one symptom must stay home and get a polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, lab test, regardless of their vaccination status, Public Health said.
Children or staff who are household contacts of confirmed cases are not eligible to participate in the rapid test program and must follow isolation requirements set out by Public Health, the release said.
Cases at 6 child-care centres
Cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed at two child-care facilities, which were not previously impacted — Nackawic Childcare and Totally Kids Daycare, both in the Fredericton region, Zone 3.
New cases have also been confirmed at Joy Pre-School and Spring Roots Early Learning & Child Care Centre in the Fredericton region, and Love and Learn Child Care Center and Petitcodiac Boys & Girls Club's Early Learning Centre in the Moncton region, Zone 1, all of which were previously impacted.
People who have been in close contact with a confirmed case will be notified directly by Public Health or the child-care facility for contact tracing, Public Health said.
Eight-five early learning and child-care facilities have had confirmed cases of COVID-19 since Sept. 7. The number of cases has not been disclosed.
Outbreak at Moncton Hospital
A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared on the stroke and family medicine unit at The Moncton Hospital, Unit 4600, the Horizon Health Network announced Monday afternoon.
The number of confirmed cases and whether they involve patients or staff was not provided.
COVID-19 testing of patients and staff is underway and staff are following enhanced infection prevention and control guidelines, according to a news release.
The designated support person program for patients on this unit will be suspended and existing visitor restrictions remain in place throughout the hospital, it said.
In addition, there will be no patient admissions or transfers to or from this unit.
"These temporary measures are in place to ensure the health and safety of our patients and clients, staff, physicians, and the community," the release said.
Horizon said it understands it's difficult for families and friends to be separated from their loved ones and encourages people to use technology to connect with patients.
"Our staff are working diligently to provide care and comfort to our patients during this outbreak," it said.
Outbreak at Saint John rooming house
Public Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Lantern House, a rooming house on Princess Street in uptown Saint John.
At least four positive cases have been confirmed in the four-storey brick building, according to a news release.
A round of testing was to take place Monday, followed by another round later this week, it said.
Members of the provincial rapid outbreak management team, also known as PROMT, are on site.
Reminder of restrictions on private gatherings
While there are no longer any circuit breakers in New Brunswick, the government issued a reminder Monday that there are still restrictions on private gatherings under the mandatory order.
Indoor gatherings are limited to with your household plus 20 consistent contacts.
This does not apply to businesses, such as restaurants, where patrons must show proof of full vaccination or a medical exemption.
There are no limits on outside gatherings, with physical distancing.
Circuit breakers in Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe in Zone 1 and the Miramichi region, Zone 7, were lifted last Friday at 6 p.m.
Instead, all members of a household with a positive case of COVID-19 must now isolate for up to 14 days, regardless of their vaccination status.
The new rule was announced Thursday by Premier Blaine Higgs to address where spread is occurring.
Household members who are fully vaccinated will be released from isolation with a negative PCR test on Day 5. A PCR test on Day 10 will also be required to confirm the negative result.
Anyone who violates a Public Health order to self-isolate faces a fine of between $480 and $20,400.
Prison outbreak grows to 54
A COVID-19 outbreak at Dorchester Penitentiary has grown to 54 cases, Correctional Services Canada confirmed Monday evening.
Fifty inmates and five staff from the medium-security unit have tested positive for COVID-19, said regional manager of communications Shelley Lawrence.
"Note that one case is not related to the outbreak," she said in an emailed statement, without elaborating.
The outbreak is currently contained to that unit, said Lawrence. The infected staff members are self-isolating at home, she said.
"We are closely monitoring the situation, testing broadly, and diligently applying infection prevention and control measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within the institution.
"In addition to the use of masks, medical isolation and physical distancing, CSC has also established cohorts and modified routines as a measure to help prevent the spread of the virus within the institution."
CSC continues to work closely with Public Health to adapt its approach and take additional measures, as needed, she added.
On Friday, Correctional Services Canada confirmed 34 inmates and three staff members from the medium-security unit had tested positive on either PCR lab test or a rapid test.
The medium-security unit is rated to house 397 male inmates, according to the Correctional Services website, while the minimum-security unit is rated to house 302 inmates.
Nearly 86 per cent of inmates in the medium-level security unit are fully vaccinated, and more than 88 per cent have received their first dose, CSC has said.
In-person family visits are suspended and disinfection measures have been increased.
Storm closes 2 mobile rapid test pickup sites
Heavy rainfall and strong winds closed at least two mobile rapid COVID-19 test pickup sites Monday.
The Horizon Health Network posted on social media that the Sussex and Woodstock locations would be closed "due to severe rain warnings."
"#Rexton will remain open, if possible. If the storm gets worse, they will close," it said.
Horizon's hub pickup locations remained opened.
A full list of pickup sites is available from both Horizon and the Vitalité Health Network.
More information about the kits is available online.
Atlantic COVID roundup
Nova Scotia reported one new COVID-related death and a three-day total of 60 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. The province now has 193 active cases. Sixteen people are in hospital with the virus, including seven in intensive care.
Newfoundland and Labrador reported a three-day total of three new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. The province's active case count has dropped to 12 — the lowest it has been since Aug. 18. One person is in hospital because of the virus.
Prince Edward Island reported four new cases Monday, and has 22 active cases.
Public exposure notices
Public Health is reporting new potential public exposures in three zones, including a restaurant in the Saint John region, Zone 2, and bingo halls in the Bathurst region, Zone 6, and Miramichi region, Zone 7.
For the full list of new and previous public exposure notices, please 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.