N.B. COVID roundup: Province reports 27 new cases, 1 new case at Tucker Hall

New Brunswick is reporting 27 new cases of COVID-19 spread across six regions of the province on Saturday.

The province has experienced a surge over the past two weeks, prompting officials to move all health zones to the orange recovery phase.

The province has 267 active cases. There were 24 active cases on Jan. 1.

The new cases include:

Moncton region, seven cases:

• an individual 19 and under.
• an individual 20-29.
• three people 30-39.
• an individual 50-59.
• and an individual 60-69.

Saint John region, four cases:

• two people 19 and under.
• an individual 40-49.
• an individual 90-99.

Fredericton region, four cases:

• an individual 40-49.
• an individual 60-69.
• and two people 70-79.

Edmundston region, seven cases:

• an individual 19 and under.
• an individual 20-29.
• an individual 30-39.
• an individual 40-49.
• two people 50-59.
• an individual 60-69.

Campbellton region, three cases:

• an individual 19 and under.
• an individual 20-29.
• an individual 50-59.

Bathurst region, two cases:

• two people 20-29.

The Miramichi region reported no new cases and is the only region in the province with no active cases.

New Brunswick has confirmed 911 total cases. Three people are in the hospital related to the virus.

The province has recorded 631 recoveries and 12 deaths. The death of a 13th person with COVID-19 was not related to the disease.

Officers visited 172 sites earlier this week and found 99.4% of all patrons were wearing masks, according to a press release. 

Employee compliance with mask use was 88.9%. The province said warnings were issued and businesses breaking the rules during future inspections could face fines of up to $10,000.

Tucker Hall reports case

Shannex Parkland Saint John is reporting a new case of COVID-19 involving a resident as part of an outbreak at its Tucker Hall nursing home.

The company announced the new case in a statement released late Friday.

The facility has 15 residents with the virus along with nine employees. Three residents of Lily Court died last week.

Tucker Hall began receiving doses of the vaccine on Friday after Public Health officials reversed an earlier decision not to vaccinate at nursing homes experiencing outbreaks

The units most affected at the long-term care homes experiencing outbreaks will not receive vaccine. Two parts of Tucker Hall, Lily Court and Portland Court are currently excluded.

Shannex said it plans to retest all residents and employees of Tucker Hall next week. All results from the last round of testing on Thursday have been returned.

The province has 170,985 tests since the the start of the pandemic, including 1,729 since Friday's update.

More doses due to arrive

More doses are expected to be delivered to long-term care facilities in the coming days.

Premier Blaine Higgs said a shipment of Moderna vaccine that arrived in the province Thursday will be used to immunize residents and staff in eight long-term care facilities.

New Brunswick has administered more than 7,700 vaccine doses, according to the latest figures from Public Health. Of that group, 1,862 have received a second dose.

Vitalité reduces services

Some hospital services are being reduced in northwestern New Brunswick in response to growing cases of COVID-19.

Vitalité Health Network said the changes will impact the Edmundston Regional Hospital, Grand Falls General Hospital, and Hôtel-Dieu-Saint-Joseph de Saint-Quentin.

Service reductions will vary at each facility depending on capacity and the situation in the community, according to the health authority.

Vitalité is asking the public to limit emergency department visits to critical situations. Those facilities remain open for people who need urgent care.

Dr. John Tobin, head of the family medicine department in Zone 4 for the Vitalite Health Network, said hospitals in the northwest are maintaining designated space in the event COVID-positive patients are admitted.

"If we can delay the treatment or the surgery for a few days for a few maybe weeks, it might be delayed," he said. "But this is without saying every patient that needs urgent surgery or cancer treatment surgery will be treated."

Exposure notification

Public Health identified a possible public exposure where a passenger who tested positive for COVID-19 may have been infectious on the follow flight:

• Air Canada Flight 8910 – from Toronto to Moncton departed on Dec. 31 at 11:23 a.m.

A Saint John restaurant has posted on Facebook that it is closed after being told an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 was inside.

East Side Mario's said in the post that it will be closed for 48 hours for a deep clean. Public Health did not issue a notice about the restaurant.

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:

• A fever above 38 C.

• A 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.