N.B. COVID-19 roundup: 31 new cases, province warns strike may cause testing, vaccination delays

Public Health reported 31 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday and warned that some New Brunswickers could face delays getting tested and vaccinated for COVID-19 because of the strike by members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

Because of decreased COVID-19 testing capacity, Public Health has identified "priority groups" to receive polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, lab tests, according to a news release.

"This is intended to protect the most vulnerable and support case and contact management," the release said.

"Asymptomatic individuals and those not directed by Public Health for testing may experience delays."

The strike, now on Day 4, involves 22,000 workers in 10 CUPE locals, including health care, education, transportation and agricultural sectors, as well as social workers, jail guards, court stenographers and staff at WorkSafeNB and New Brunswick community colleges.

"While Public Health has implemented contingency plans, CUPE did not agree to the designation of essential workers in COVID-19 services (screening, vaccination clinics, assessment centres, labs), putting further strain on the health-care system," the release said.

On Sunday, the government announced the strike had started to affect the province's microbiology lab at the Dr. Georges-L-Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton.

COVID-19 assessment and testing activity will be "significantly impacted" this week, it said in a news release.

Some COVID-19 testing at assessment centres and vaccination clinics were cancelled over the weekend because of the strike.

On Monday, Public Health announced the regional health authority vaccination clinics are only accepting people with scheduled appointments and are not able to accommodate walk-in appointments.

"People are asked to be patient with staff and expect delays," it said.

This week, the province started offering a booster dose to people aged 65 or older and to school personnel. They can book an appointment to receive an mRNA COVID-19 booster dose if six months have passed since their second dose of a vaccine, Dr. Jennifer Russell, the chief medical officer of health, announced last Thursday. 

New Brunswickers who received one or two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine can also book an appointment now to receive an mRNA booster if 28 days have passed since their second dose, she said.

Health-care personnel — including those who work in long-term care facilities — and residents of First Nations communities were previously eligible to book an appointment to receive an mRNA COVID-19 booster dose if six months have passed since their second dose of a vaccine.

Appointments for first and second doses, as well as a booster dose for those eligible, can be scheduled at a regional health authority vaccination clinic through the online booking system or at a participating pharmacy. A list of upcoming clinics is available online.

The Vitalité Health Network said it had to temporarily close its rapid COVID-19 test kit pickup locations in Moncton, Campbellton, Cocagne, Grand Falls, Clair, Caraquet and Saint-Isidore on Monday because of the strike.

The Horizon Health Network said its hub pickup sites in Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton and Miramichi will remain open this week, but its mobile sites will not.

Breakdown of new cases

Twenty-four people are in hospital with COVID-19 Monday, an increase of one from Sunday, including 16 in intensive care, an increase of three.

Of those in hospital, 14 are unvaccinated, one is partially vaccinated and nine are fully vaccinated.

Of those in ICU, 12 are unvaccinated, one is partially vaccinated, and three are fully vaccinated.

Of the 31 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed Monday, 16, or 52 per cent, are unvaccinated, three, or nine per cent, are partially vaccinated, and 12, or 39 per cent, are fully vaccinated.

Here is the regional breakdown:

Moncton region, Zone 1, 15 cases:

• Six people 19 or under.
• Two people 30 to 39.
• Three people 40 to 49.
• Three people 50 to 59.
• A person 60 to 69.

Ten of these cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases and the other five cases are under investigation.

Saint John region, Zone 2, 12 cases:

• Six cases 19 or under.
• A person 20-29.
• Four people 30-39.
• A person 60-69.

Eight of these cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases and four cases are under investigation.

Fredericton region, Zone 3, one case:

• A person 19 or under.

This case is a contact of a previously confirmed case.

Miramichi region, Zone 7, three cases:

• A person 20 to 29.
• A person 40 to 49.
• A person 60 to 69.

Two of these cases are under investigation and the other case is a contact of a previously confirmed case.

There are 506 active cases of COVID-19 across the province.

A total of 85.1 per cent of New Brunswickers aged 12 or older are fully vaccinated, up from 85 per cent on Sunday, while 92.6 per cent have received their first dose, unchanged.

New Brunswick has had 6,476 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, with 5,852 recoveries so far and 117 COVID-related deaths.

A total of 527,822 COVID tests have been conducted to date. Only 507 tests were conducted on Sunday, according to the COVID dashboard.

Community transmission cases jump nearly 81%

The number of COVID-19 cases deemed to be spread by community transmission jumped by nearly 81 per cent on Monday.

The case origin of 150 cases is now listed as being community transmission on the COVID-19 dashboard.

That's up from just 83 of the more than 6,400 confirmed cases of COVID since the beginning of the pandemic.

Community transmission means officials are unable to trace the source of the infection.

This means cases spread by community transmission account for about two per cent of the total cases identified to date, up from 1.3 per cent.

Department of Health officials could not immediately be reached for comment, but last Friday spokesperson Gail Harding told CBC News Public Health had reviewed more than 1,000 cases listed as being under investigation and the dashboard would be updated.

The number of cases under investigation dropped to 1,061 from an all-time high of 2,657.

Close contacts now account for 4,616 of the province's infections, up by 1,529 from Sunday, an increase of nearly 50 per cent.

And 649 cases have now been deemed travel-related, up by 31 from Sunday, an increase of five per cent.

Vaccinated JD Irving employees to receive bonuses

More than 3,000 JD Irving Limited employees have qualified to each receive a $150 bonus for getting fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the company announced Monday.

As part of an incentive program this fall, JDI asked its employees to provide proof of vaccination before Oct. 29 to qualify for the bonus, which will be paid in locations that are at least 95 per cent vaccinated.

"We know that vaccines are proven to be a safe and effective way of protecting ourselves and others from infection and the worst impacts of COVID-19 including hospitalization and death," Jim Ramsay, JDI's vice-president of health and safety, said in a statement.

"This is one way of saying thank you to our vaccinated employees for keeping each other and our workplaces safe while continuing to provide the products and services that our customers value."

The vaccinated employees are at 45 locations across Atlantic Canada.

19 new cases at schools, 3 at daycares

Nineteen new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed at 14 schools since Friday, including four that were not previously impacted, the COVID-19 dashboard shows.

The newly impacted schools include Claude D. Taylor School in the Moncton region, Zone 1, and Gretna Green, James M. Hill High School, and Nelson Rural School, all in the Miramichi region, Zone 7.

A positive case or cases have also been identified at École L'Odyssée, École Sainte-Thérèse, École Le Sommet, J.M.A. Armstrong, and Salisbury Middle School, all in Zone 1, Centre scolaire Samuel-de-Champlain in the Saint John region, Zone 2, Perth-Andover Middle School and Southern Victoria High School in the Fredericton region, Zone 3, and Polyvalente Thomas-Albert in the Edmundston region, Zone 4.

Thirty-five schools are currently affected by cases.

A total of 423 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed at 115 schools since the beginning of the school year.

All schools moved to online learning Monday because of the CUPE strike. Students will continue to learn from home until the strike is over, the government has said.

Since Friday, a positive case of COVID-19 has also been confirmed at each of the following facilities in the Moncton region, Zone 1: Reaching for Rainbows After School Program, Kingswood Academy, Centre du Jour l'Éveil.

People who have been in close contact with a confirmed case will be notified directly by Public Health or the child-carea centre for contact tracing, Public Health said.

Since Sept. 7, 63 early learning and child-care centres have had confirmed cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases has not been released.

Greater Moncton Santa Claus Parade cancelled

The Greater Moncton Santa Claus Parade, scheduled for Nov. 27, has been cancelled, the volunteer organizing committee announced Monday.

Organizers have been working since the province entered the green phase of recovery this summer to "provide the community with some holiday magic," but registrations for floats and volunteer commitments have been impacted by growing concerns around public safety, the committee said in a news release.

"This decision was made with heavy hearts, knowing how many people were looking forward to some feeling that life has returned to normal," parade president Alex Morton said in a statement.

"Unfortunately, our lives continue to be impacted by this pandemic and we must listen to the concerns raised by volunteers and municipal representatives."

The committee is hopeful foregoing this year's parade and the province's extended and expanded circuit breaker measures will allow for families to gather for their own Christmas celebrations, he said.

Children who traditionally give their Santa letters to Canada Post volunteers during the parade are reminded they can drop those letters in any mailbox, free of charge, when addressed to Santa, and should include their return address to receive a response.

The parade is also an annual food drive event for Food Depot Alimentaire. People are encouraged to still make a donation to the centre.  

Atlantic COVID roundup

Nova Scotia reported one new COVID-related death and 59 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend, putting the province's active case count at 166. There are 10 people hospitalized because of the virus, with none reported in intensive care.

Newfoundland and Labrador reported two new cases of COVID-19 since Friday but the Health Department warned some information is not available in the wake of an apparent cyberattack on the province's health-care system. The province has 91 active cases and one person in hospital.

Prince Edward Island announced two new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. There are four active cases on the Island.

Public exposure notices

Public Health has posted several new public exposure notices Monday, including a West Jet flight from Toronto to Moncton on Oct. 28, the University of Moncton in Zone 1 on Oct. 26 and River Valley Community Centre in the Saint John region, Zone 2 on Oct. 30.

For the full list of new and previous public exposure notices, please visit the government of New Brunswick's website.

Public Health recommends that people who have not been fully vaccinated at least 14 days prior to a possible exposure get a COVID test, even if they don't have symptoms. They can book an appointment online or call Tele-Care 811.

If they do have symptoms, they must isolate while they await their results.

It can take up to 14 days to test positive after being exposed to COVID-19 so even if their results comes back negative, they 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 test if symptoms develop.

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

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.