News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – More than 11,000 New Brunswickers between the ages of 12 and 19 are not yet fully vaccinated and another roughly 19,000 have yet to receive their first doses.

“With students going back to school on Sept. 7, and a two-week timespan needed after your second dose to have full immunity, parents and guardians need to book an appointment immediately to get their children fully vaccinated, or receive at least the first dose, if they have not yet done so,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health. “We all need two doses of the vaccine to be fully protected.”

Here is the current vaccination breakdown of people aged 12-19:

• Fully vaccinated: 54.04 per cent (34,968 people)

• Received only first dose: 16.6 per cent (11,511 people)

• Not vaccinated: 29.36 per cent (18,998 people)

“We are finalizing guidelines for the 2021-22 school year and will share them with students, families, teachers and staff by the end of next week,” said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Dominic Cardy. “We are looking at the evolving science, and our success during the last school year, so we can keep our schools as healthy and safe as possible. Our goal is as close to a normal year as possible in the face of challenges from the Delta variant, while we protect those who cannot be vaccinated and those under 12 still waiting for vaccines to be approved. A safe return to school means a vaccinated province. Please help our students; please get your COVID vaccine today."

As of today, 70.5 per cent of New Brunswickers aged 12 and older are fully vaccinated and 83.1 per cent have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

If you have not yet had your first or second dose, you are asked to go to a walk-in clinic or to book an appointment through a participating pharmacy or at a Vitalité or Horizon health network clinic as soon as possible.

All eligible New Brunswickers can book their second-dose appointments now for a date that is at least 28 days after their first dose. To receive a second dose, bring a signed consent form, your Medicare card and a copy of the record of immunization provided after receiving your first dose.

If you have an appointment for a vaccine but were able to get vaccinated sooner elsewhere, contact your pharmacy or regional health authority clinic to cancel the appointment you no longer need. This will help ensure that someone else in your community can obtain their vaccination sooner.

11 new cases

Public Health reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 today.

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

• one person 19 or under;

• two people 20-29;

• two people 30-39;

• two people 40-49; and

• two people 50-59.

Three cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases and six cases are under investigation.

The two cases in Zone 2 (Saint John region) are two people 40-49. Both cases are travel-related.

There are currently no hospitalizations in New Brunswick due to COVID-19.

The number of confirmed cases in New Brunswick is 2,471. There have been 14 recoveries since Wednesday for a total of 2,356 recoveries. There have been 46 deaths and the number of active cases is 68. A total of 933 tests were conducted Wednesday for a total of 390,197.

Potential public exposures

Anyone with symptoms of the virus, as well as anyone who has been at the site of a possible public exposure is urged to request a test online or call Tele-Care 811 to get an appointment.