New Brunswick’s Chief Medical Officer of Health says the COVID variants are writing the next chapter in our battle against the virus.
Dr Jennifer Russell says the variants are highly contagious and more dangerous to young and old alike. The province recorded the death of the youngest person so far during the pandemic yesterday – a person in their twenties to the U-K variant in the Moncton region.
Russell says the U-K variant has been identified not only in the Moncton region but was at the centre of the outbreak in Edmundston which forced that region into a LOCKDOWN for just over two weeks – the South African variant is in the Saint John region and at the centre of an outbreak in a long term care home in Grand Falls – and – now the India variant is confirmed in the Fredricton River Valley region. This latest variant is a double mutant which is extremely contagious and can cause severe illness.
Russell also says they are keeping a close eye on the region which is experiencing an outbreak in a mature student residence next to the UNB campus in Fredericton plus confirmed cases in two schools in the capital city.
Russell has not indicated if the India variant is linked to the confirmed case in the student residence or if it may be connected to an exposure notice in the Nackawic area. Public Health is setting up a drive through testing centre in the Nackawic Shopping Centre parking lot after issuing a public exposure notification for the Canada Post office in the town. The potential exposure notice covers April 19th through the 22nd.
