News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – The province is expanding its COVID-19 vaccination eligibility to include children who are turning 12 this year.

“We know that there will continue to be cases in schools in the coming year,” said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Dominic Cardy. “This change will help support healthy and safe schools by allowing a greater number of students to be vaccinated, particularly in schools with younger children. If you are eligible, please go get your shot and help protect our schools.”

Vaccination update

As of today, 73.8 per cent of New Brunswickers aged 12 and older are fully vaccinated and 83.8 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.

Revised vaccination rates

Changes have been made to the COVID-19 dashboard to account for children turning 12 this year. The number of New Brunswickers who are eligible to receive a vaccine has increased to 696,218 from the previous 693,386.

Because the provincial government has been tracking the number of people vaccinated as a percentage of the population eligible to receive a vaccine, the addition of this group may make it appear as though there has been a reduction in some of the province’s vaccination rates.

In addition, as part of a routine review it was found that 8,159 vaccinations were not recorded across all systems. This included about 7,800 second doses. This issue has been rectified and today’s vaccination rates on the COVID-19 dashboard have been updated.

Vaccination clinics

Walk-in vaccination clinics offering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is suitable for people 12 and older, are available today as follows:

• Woodstock, Ayr Motor Centre, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

• Oromocto, Hazen Park Centre, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

• Miramichi Exhibition Building, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

• Petitcodiac, Royal Canadian Legion, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Walk-in vaccination clinics are available Wednesday, Aug. 25, as follows:

• Saint John, Exhibition Park, 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• Shediac, Public Health Office, 3:15 p.m. to 8 p.m.

A mobile clinic for those who have not yet received their first or second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine is taking place on Friday, Aug. 27, at Parlee Beach in Shediac between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Extra-Mural/Ambulance New Brunswick is conducting this clinic.

Those attending are asked to bring their Medicare card, a record of vaccination if receiving their second dose, and a signed consent form. This clinic will be administering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine which is suitable for people 12 and older and which can be used safely and effectively as either a first or second dose.

A list of upcoming mobile and walk-in clinics is available online.

15 new cases and three in hospital

Public Health reported 15 new cases of COVID-19 today.

The 10 new cases in Zone 1 (Moncton region) are as follows:

• four people 19 and under;

• two people 20-29;

• three people 30-39; and

• one person 40-49.

Seven cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases, two are travel related and one is under investigation.

The two cases in Zone 3 (Fredericton region) are two people 19 and under. Both are contacts of previously confirmed cases.

The three cases in Zone 7 (Miramichi region) are as follows:

• one person 60-69;

• one person 70-79; and

• one person 80-89.

All three cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases.

The number of confirmed cases in New Brunswick is 2,687. There have been 21 recoveries since Aug. 23 for a total of 2,473 recoveries. There have been 46 deaths and the number of active cases is 167. Three patients are hospitalized in New Brunswick. A total of 1,379 tests were conducted since Aug. 23 for a total of 401,531.

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.