At a press conference in Fredericton on October 21, 2021, Premier Blaine Higgs announced that New Brunswick reached another grim milestone during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Today we have reached a terrible milestone as we have lost two more people to COVID-19 and have surpassed 100 deaths as a result of this virus,” said Premier Higgs. “With every death we have announced, there are loved ones left behind who are grieving their loss. Today, sadly, two more families are grieving.”

“We all share in the sadness of this loss and in the grief being experienced by the loved ones of the deceased,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health, at the press conference. “My sincerest and most heartfelt condolences go out to these families in their time of mourning. I hope there will be some comfort in knowing that every New Brunswicker grieves with you.”

Public Health reported 67 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday and 63 recoveries. There are 763 active cases. Of the new cases, 38 – or 57 per cent – are unvaccinated, four – or six per cent – are partially vaccinated, and 25 – or 37 per cent – are fully vaccinated. Of the 55 people hospitalized due to the virus, 27 are unvaccinated, five are partially vaccinated and 23 are fully vaccinated. There is currently one person 19 and under in the hospital. There are 16 people in an intensive care unit, 14 of whom are unvaccinated and two of whom are partially vaccinated. Many of the 23 people who are fully vaccinated who are currently in the hospital did not have COVID-19 when they were admitted. They contracted the virus while hospitalized for other reasons due to the ongoing outbreaks at the Moncton Hospital and the Campbellton Regional Hospital.

“These fully vaccinated patients are generally experiencing mild symptoms,” Russell said. “But they must still be treated as COVID-19 patients requiring additional care and protective measures.”

Dr. Russell announced that the current circuit breaker in parts of Zone 1, 3 and all of Zone 4 will be extended for another week. 

“We have seen encouraging data since the circuit breaker measures went into effect, but it is still too early to know if cases in the affected areas will continue to steadily decline in the days ahead,” said Russell. “If we were to remove these measures now, without knowing for certain that we are experiencing a sustained downward trend in cases and hospitalizations, we could prolong the situation even further.”

Dr. Russell also said a new circuit in Zone 5 would come into effect for the following two weeks in order to deal with outbreaks in that health zone.