UPDATED: N.B. Health Officials Continue To Urge Vaccination

New Brunswick’s top doctor continued to urge residents Wednesday to get both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province’s chief medical officer of health, spoke during a COVID-19 briefing in Fredericton.

Russell said the province reached an “important” milestone this week with 75 per cent of eligible residents now fully vaccinated.

“Is this a significant accomplishment? Yes, it is. Can we be proud that we have reached this goal? Yes, we can. Does it mean that COVID-19 is over? No, it does not,” said Russell, the province’s chief medical officer of health.

A total of 75.5 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers were fully vaccinated as of Wednesday morning, while 84.7 per cent had received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Russell said COVID-related hospitalizations remain low, and Public Health wants to keep it that way. As of Wednesday, three New Brunswickers were hospitalized with COVID-19, including one in intensive care.

The top doctor said she agreed with recent comments by Dr. Bonnie Henry, the chief medical health officer in British Columbia, who said the fourth wave of COVID-19 is a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.”

“While the infections do circulate more among the unvaccinated population, the virus can then move to vulnerable New Brunswickers,” said Russell, referring to the elderly, those with weakened immune systems, and kids under the age of 12 who cannot get vaccinated.

“I need every New Brunswicker to be aware that this is the battle we’re fighting right now in terms of trying to keep our communities safe, to keep our people healthy, and to protect our healthcare system.”

Russell said Public Health continues to try and limit the spread of COVID-19 throughout the province, even in the green phase with all pandemic restrictions lifted.

That is despite other provinces in Canada, such as Alberta, doing away with contact tracing for those who have tested positive for the virus,

“We are absolutely continuing with aggressive contact tracing, isolation of contacts, et cetera. We are still continuing with testing. That is part of our approach right now that is helping us be successful,” said Russell.

But Russell said the key to continued success in New Brunswick will be having more residents fully vaccinated against the virus.

She said while Public Health is not mandating that residents wear masks in indoor public spaces, “it is going to continue to be a choice.”

“If you have concerns for yourself and for others who you come into contact with on a regular basis because you or they are at higher risk of COVID due to age, chronic conditions or other reasons, the choice is yours whether you continue to wear a mask in indoor public spaces,” said Russell.

“We know that mask-wearing in combination with other public health measures — washing your hands, maintaining physical distance, staying home when you’re sick — helps to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.”

New Brunswick health officials reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 and 21 more recoveries on Wednesday for a total of 127 active cases.

The new cases included five in the Moncton region, three in the Bathurst health zone, two in the Fredericton area, and one in the Edmundston region.

The majority of the new cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases or related to travel. Four of the cases remain under investigation.