Circuit Breakers Will Continue In Saint John And Moncton Health Zones

SAINT JOHN – Circuit breakers will continue in most of the Moncton and Saint John health zones for at least another week.

Health Minister Dorothy Shephard says the circuit breakers will be lifted Friday at 6 p.m. for the rest of the province.

Shephard says the circuit breakers have been effective in bringing down Covid-19 case numbers. She adds case activity remains high in Zones 1 and 2 and positivity rates are above the provincial average.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell says she believes progress is being made.

Across the province, Dr. Russell says daily cases have fallen significantly compared to a month ago and the active case count is half of what it was during the peak.

Dr. Russell is expressing concern about Miramichi Zone 7, which has seen a couple of Covid-19 clusters in the community.

Public Health reported one virus-related death today, which was someone in their 70’s in the Campbellton region.

Today, 39 new cases of Covid-19 were reported.

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

• four people 19 and under;
• a person 30-39;
• two people 40-49;
• a person 70-79; and
• a person 80-89.

Six cases are under investigation, two cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases, and one is travel-related.

The 11 new cases in Zone 2 (Saint John region) are as follows:

• seven people 19 and under;
• two people 20-29; and
• two people 50-59.

Five cases are under investigation, five others are contacts of previously confirmed cases and one is travel-related.

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

• three people 19 and under;
• a person 20-29;
• two people 30-39; and
• a person 60-69.

Five cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases and two others are under investigation.

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

• a person 19 and under; and
• a person 50-59.

Both cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases

The one new case in Zone 5 (Campbellton region) is a person 60-69. This case is under investigation.

The nine new cases in Zone 7 (Miramichi region) are as follows:

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

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

The active case count in New Brunswick is now 464. Currently, 18 people are in hospital with the virus and 12 are in an intensive care unit.

In terms of vaccinations, Public Health says 85.4 percent of eligible New Brunswickers are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and 92.8 per cent have received their first dose of a vaccine.

By Allan Dearing, a news reporter with 91.9 The Bend, a Huddle content partner.