The fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is hitting New Brunswick hard with hospitals now nearing capacity due to a surge in COVID-19 patients. There are currently 1,092 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 63 of those cases are hospitalized due to the virus, with 27 in an intensive care unit. There is notably also one person under the age of 19 currently hospitalized. Of those in hospital, 48 are unvaccinated, four are partially vaccinated and 11 are fully vaccinated. Of the 27 in an intensive case unit, 19 are unvaccinated, three are partially vaccinated and five are fully vaccinated. 

“The Delta variant during the fourth wave of the pandemic has hit our province much harder than previous waves, and we are all feeling this impact,” said New Brunswick Health Minister Dorothy Shephard said at a press conference in Fredericton on Tuesday, October 12, 2021, at which Public Health announced 109 new cases on Tuesday alone. “The high case count and high numbers of hospitalizations we have experienced in recent weeks have led to new measures coming into effect. These steps are necessary to find a balance between living our lives as normally as possible while reducing the impact on our health-care system.”

“The evidence is clear: if you are unvaccinated, you are 18 times more likely to become severely ill if you contract the COVID-19 virus,” said Chief Medical Officer of New Brunswick Dr. Russell at the press conference. “It also shows that the vaccines are very good at preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death among those infected with the COVID-19 virus.”

81.6 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers are currently fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 90.8 per cent have received their first dose of a vaccine. By Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, all provincial government employees, staff in long-term care facilities and staff and volunteers in schools and licensed early learning and child-care facilities must be fully vaccinated.

“I am particularly pleased to see that the number of people getting first doses is rising again,” said Dr. Russell. “This shows that our measures to encourage vaccination are having the desired effect. But that still leaves 128,000 eligible New Brunswickers who are not yet fully protected against this virus, including 69,000 who have yet to receive their first dose. This is where the greatest risk now lies.”

During the Thanksgiving long weekend, compliance officers and inspectors responded to 28 calls of reports of non-compliance with the mandatory order. They also conducted more than 600 inspections of businesses and private homes. Peace officers visited 63 places of worship to ensure rules were being followed and found that all but one place of worship were in full compliance.

“I am deeply appreciative that nearly every religious leader and faith community in New Brunswick is doing the right thing by their community and their province,” said Shephard. “They are requiring proof of vaccination or having smaller, distanced, masked gatherings, or they are taking their celebrations online temporarily. These are tough decisions, but necessary ones, and I appreciate the leadership being shown.”