New Brunswick recorded two more COVID-related deaths and 133 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, as the province announced it's expanding its use of rapid tests, starting this weekend with some people in circuit breaker areas.
People who have not been identified as close contacts of positive cases and do not have any symptoms will be able to pick up the free rapid test kits and administer them at home, Public Health said in a news release.
If they test positive, it's important they make an appointment to get a follow-up polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, said Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Jennifer Russell.
"Everyone must remember that a rapid test reflects a person's status for that moment in time," Russell said in a statement. A PCR test is considered the gold standard diagnostic test.
Although the rapid test program for home use will start in the COVID "hot spots" currently under the two-week circuit breaker rules, it will be expanded across the province, Public Health said. No timeline was given.
Test kits with five tests to be used over 10 days will be available for pickup on Saturday at the following locations, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.:
The program is only for people age two and older. People age 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult to acquire a testing kit.
The circuit breaker, which went into effect Friday at 6 p.m., is designed to limit the spread of the virus and reduce further hospitalizations.
The areas covered by the circuit breaker include Zone 1 (Moncton region) as far north as and including Sainte-Anne-de-Kent and including Havelock in Zone 2 (Saint John region); the northern portion of Zone 3 from and including Deerville and Florenceville-Bristol; and all of Zone 4 (Edmundston region), including Menneval, Whites Brook and St-Jean-Baptiste in Zone 5 (Campbellton region).
People who live in these areas must not have gatherings at private homes inside or outside with anyone who does not live at that home, with a few exceptions.
Travel to or from circuit breaker regions is restricted, except for those who must travel for essential reasons, including work, health services, child custody, childcare or post-secondary education, or travel to events where proof of vaccination is required, the province's circuit breaker website states.
"We all have a role to play in helping to get COVID-19 under control, which includes following the rules under the mandatory order and getting fully vaccinated if you have not already done so," said Russell.
She offered her condolences to the family and friends of the two people who died "as a result of COVID-19" — a person in their 70s in the Fredericton region, Zone 3, and a person 90 or over in the Miramichi region, Zone 7.
No other information about them, such as their vaccination status or whether they lived at a long-term care home where there's a COVID-19 outbreak, has been released.
Premier Blaine Higgs said the lost lives are "a tragic reminder of the damage COVID-19 can cause."
"We know that fully vaccinated individuals are much less likely to become hospitalized or lose their life if they are exposed to the virus," he said in a statement.
"I urge any eligible New Brunswicker who has not yet been vaccinated to book an appointment immediately to protect yourself and your loved ones."
Sixty-three people are in hospital because of the virus, including 19 in intensive care. That's down from 68 and 27 respectively on Wednesday.
No one under the age of 19 is hospitalized.
Of those in hospital, 39 are unvaccinated, five are partially vaccinated and 19 are fully vaccinated. Of the 19 in an intensive care unit, 17 are unvaccinated and two are partially vaccinated.
Of the new cases, 75 – or 56 per cent – are unvaccinated, 10 – or eight per cent – are partially vaccinated, and 48 – or 36 per cent – are fully vaccinated.
A total of 81.8 per cent of New Brunswickers age 12 or older are fully vaccinated, up from 81.6 per cent on Wednesday, while 91 per cent of the eligible population have received their first dose, up from 90.9.
The province's goal is to get at least 90 per cent of the total population — not just eligible population — double-dosed now that the highly transmissible delta variant is the dominant strain driving the fourth wave.
According to CBC's vaccine tracker, 72.2 per cent of New Brunswick's total population is fully vaccinated, and 80.3 per cent have received one dose.
The 133 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed Thursday push the province's total active case count to 1,103.
The new cases are spread across all seven health zones. Here is the breakdown:
Thirty-six of these cases are under investigation and three are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Saint John region, Zone 2, nine cases:
Five of these cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases and four are under investigation.
Twenty-one of these cases are under investigation and four are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Twenty-one of these cases are under investigation and eight are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Fifteen of these cases are under investigation and two are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Bathurst region, Zone 6, three cases:
All three cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
Nine of these cases are under investigation and two are contacts of previously confirmed cases.
New Brunswick has had 5,582 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with 4,396 recoveries so far and 82 COVID-related deaths.
A total of 499,014 tests have been conducted to date.
The Acadian Society of New Brunswick has filed a complaint with the official languages commissioner following the government's COVID-19 briefing Tuesday, during which Health Minister Dorothy Shephard spoke in English only.
She "never uttered a single word in French concerning very important information for the population of the province," Alexandre Cédric Doucet, president of the society, wrote in his complaint in French.
Instead, Acadians and francophones "only had the right to simultaneous interpretation," he said in a statement in French.
During the news conference, Shephard announced COVID-19 hospitalizations are expected to increase by six per cent over the next week.
She also explained the "red alert" protocols introduced at Vitalité Health Network hospitals Tuesday and Horizon Health Network hospitals and health-care centres Wednesday.
Under a red alert designation, hospitals are able to postpone elective surgeries and non-urgent medical procedures and outpatient appointments, such as X-rays, scans and tests.
This allows the hospitals to redeploy staff to maintain emergency services and intensive care units to care for COVID-19 patients and others who are critically ill, Shephard said.
Doucet alleged the government has shown "flagrant non-respect for the bilingual character of the province" during COVID briefings that have been held since the beginning of the pandemic.
He notes Official Languages Commissioner Shirley MacLean ruled in favour of a reporter from Quebec in September 2020, following a complaint filed after she was forced to ask Premier Blaine Higgs a question in English during a news conference on March 25.
At the end of her investigation, MacLean concluded that the complaint was founded and that the government had not met its obligations under the Official Languages Act.
She recommended that the government have a francophone or bilingual spokesperson at news conferences.
In addition, MacLean recommended all practices regarding the use of the two official languages during updates or news conferences given by the government be reviewed "to ensure a balanced use of the official languages in view of the equal status of the two official languages and the two linguistic communities."
Doucet argues Tuesday's news conference "highlights a systemic problem."
"After more than 18 months of health emergency, and after being formally criticized by the commissioner, it is clear that the Higgs government does not respect its Acadian and francophone population in any way in its right to receive crucial information in times of health emergency in his mother tongue," he wrote.
The government did not respond directly to a request for comment regarding the complaint being filed with the Office of the Official Languages Commissioner.
But Department of Health spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane said the government "recognizes the importance of getting information and messages out in both official languages, even more so today as we continue to deal with the ongoing pandemic."
He noted a YouTube channel in French and another in English allows New Brunswickers to listen to the COVID-19 news conferences in the language of their choice.
In addition, he said, important information is shared daily in both official languages in news releases, through social media and on the government's website.
"Respect for our two official language communities is essential and we will continue to provide a balanced use of both official languages at any press conference or any other public announcement," Macfarlane said in an emailed statement.
The Office of the Official Languages Commissioner will "analyze the complaint" and "initiate a resolution process" in the following days and weeks, said spokesperson Véronique Taylor.
She could not estimate a timeline. "There are many factors that can influence the time it takes to resolve a complaint," she said in an emailed statement.
The number of COVID-19 patients in Vitalité Health Network hospitals has more than doubled in the past two weeks, and the number of health-care workers off for COVID-related reasons has more than tripled, figures released Thursday show.
Meanwhile, its percentage of fully vaccinated health-care workers has increased to 83 per cent from 79 per cent, during roughly the same period.
In a COVID-19 situation report, Vitalité said it has 29 hospitalized patients, nine of whom require intensive care.
The Campbellton Regional Hospital, which is operating at 115 per cent occupancy, has the largest share at 16, including one in ICU, followed by the Edmundston Regional Hospital, which is at 76 per cent capacity, with eight, including four in ICU.
The Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton is at 117 per cent capacity with three COVID patients, two of them in ICU and the Chaleur Regional Hospital is at 92 per cent capacity with two, both in ICU.
On Oct. 1, Vitalité had 12 COVID patients in hospital, including five in intensive care. All of them were at the Edmundston Regional Hospital, except for one at the Campbellton Regional Hospital.
The three hospitals with the most COVID patients are located in zones covered by the two-week circuit breaker, which went into effect Friday at 6 p.m. to limit the spread of the virus and reduce further hospitalizations.
Sixty-seven Vitalité health-care workers are off sick with COVID or isolating after being identified as a close contact of a positive case.
That's up from 21 on Oct. 1.
Eighty-seven per cent of health-care workers have now received a first dose of a COVID vaccine, as of Oct. 11, up from 83 per cent on Sept. 28, Vitalité said.
The University of New Brunswick has a vaccination rate of 94.3 per cent among students, faculty and staff across both its Fredericton and Saint John campuses, president and vice-chancellor Paul Mazerolle announced Thursday.
"I thank the entire UNB community for stepping up to keep our community healthy and safe," he said in a statement.
At the Fredericton campus, 94.9 per cent of students, faculty and staff have received both doses of a COVID vaccine, said Mazerolle.
At the Saint John campus, the figure is 92.3 per cent.
Faculty, staff and students who are engaging in on-campus activities or in-person classes and haven't shown proof of full vaccination must complete regular COVID-19 rapid testing.
"Your participation in the COVID testing policy has ensured that this term resembles a traditional UNB experience with in-person classes and activities on campuses continuing as planned," Mazerolle said.
The university's masking policy remains in place, regardless of vaccination status.
Face masks may be removed if a person is alone in an office, or when eating or drinking while remaining seated. Eating and drinking is not permitted in classrooms.
In closed areas or office settings with 10 or fewer people, masks may be removed if everyone is seated and physical distancing of two metres between individuals is maintained. In a class of more than 10, instructors are allowed to remove their mask when teaching if everyone is seated and physical distancing is maintained.
The results of COVID-19 testing Tuesday at Drew Nursing Home in Sackville found no new cases, according to an update the home sent to families Thursday.
Of the 40 cases confirmed at the 118-bed facility, there is now only one active case — a resident, it said.
The next round of testing will be conducted Friday. "If all results are negative, Public Health may declare the outbreak over as early as October 22."
The outbreak began Sept. 14, when it was announced the home was closed to visitors after a staff member tested positive.
Additional testing will be conducted next Tuesday, according to the notice to families.
"Once this outbreak is over, we will slowly and cautiously start moving towards our new normal."
Under provincial directives, all visitors, including family members, will now have to be fully vaccinated to enter the home, it advised.
All staff will also have to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 19. Until then, unvaccinated staff will be tested regularly.
The home is waiting to hear from the province when residents will receive booster COVID vaccines. The boosters will be given with the annual flu shots.
Thirty residents and 10 staff tested positive throughout the outbreak.
Megan Mitton, the MLA for Memramcook-Tantramar and the Green Party's health critic, called Tuesday for an independent investigation of the outbreak and for the government to be more transparent about outbreaks at other facilities.
She contends questions should be answered publicly about whether the response was adequate and whether nursing home COVID protocols, such as containment measures, should be strengthened to better deal with the highly transmissible delta variant.
Social Development Minister Bruce Fitch said an investigation would be a wasteful exercise in finger-pointing.
Health Minister Dorothy Shephard said the government evaluates every outbreak and has been "very transparent."
"If they can't get answers to their questions, we could take it under advisement. But I'm not sure of any questions that they would ask that we wouldn't answer," she said.
The mayor of Edmundston hopes a COVID-19 circuit breaker underway in his region will help slow the rise in COVID-19 cases.
Under current rules, gatherings outside household bubbles are prohibited, but people can still go to restaurants and bars with proof of vaccination.
Eric Marquis says that's much better than being in a complete lockdown, which the region has experienced twice during the pandemic — in January and April.
"What I'm hoping for is that this step back will help people realize, who are not vaccinated right now, that they need to do so, so we don't go another step back when we arrive in the holidays or during next winter season," he said.
The circuit breaker has been much better for the mental health of people, said Marquis.
"All of the services are still available to most of the people that are fully vaccinated."
The lockdowns were much harder to deal with, he said.
New cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in eight schools and two child-care facilities spread across six of the seven health zones, according to a news release from Public Health.
In the Moncton region, Zone 1, a new "case or cases" have been confirmed at École Le Sommet in Moncton and École Mont-Carmel in Sainte-Marie-de-Kent, which were both previously impacted, the relase said.
A case has also been confirmed at Wee College Crandall in Moncton.
In the Saint John region, Zone 2, a new case has been confirmed at Campobello Island Consolidated School, which was previously impacted.
In the Fredericton region, Zone 3, a new case has been confirmed at Hartland Community School, which was previously impacted.
In the Campbellton region, Zone 5, a new case has been confirmed at École la Mosaïque du Nord in Balmoral, which was previously impacted.
A case has also been confirmed at Garderie des Grands Amis in Dundee.
In the Bathurst region, Zone 6, a case has been confirmed at Halte scolaire Le Tremplin and Halte scolaire Le Tremplin 2, both located in Tracadie.
In the Miramichi region, Zone 7, a new case has been confirmed at King Street Elementary School in Miramichi, which was previously impacted.
People who have been in close contact with a confirmed case will be notified directly by Public Health or the school or facility for contact tracing, according to a news release.
Under New Brunswick's Healthy and Safe Schools guidelines, schools with cases will close or move to online learning for at least one calendar day to support contact tracing, risk assessments and operational responses.
Since Sept. 7, 98 schools and 53 early learning and child-care facilities have had confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The number of cases at each school and whether they involve students, teachers or staff have not been released.
The following are new public exposures released by Public Health on Thursday:
Public Health recommends that people who have been at a possible public exposure site and are not fully vaccinated 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.
For people who are fully vaccinated, Public Health recommends they monitor for symptoms for 14 days after the possible exposure and get a COVID test if symptoms develop.
Anyone who frequented the locations at the specified dates and times should also avoid visiting settings with vulnerable populations such as nursing homes, correctional facilities and shelters for the next 14 days.
The following are exposure notices from the past few weeks. For the full list beyond this time period, please visit the Government of New Brunswick's website, which was redesigned Tuesday and now clearly separates new exposure notices from previously reported exposure notices.
Public Health has identified a positive case of COVID-19 in a traveller who may have been infectious while on the following flight:
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.
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