NB Chief Medical Officer of Health – Dr Jennifer Russell

Chief Medical Officer of Health – Dr Jennifer Russell – is warning a third wave of COVID variants will sweep through the province soon. And she is warning the third wave will be much worse than the first and second waves combined.

Russell says we are at the mid-way point of the second wave of COVID that began in late Fall. However – Russell says she is concerned about the third wave because it will be comprised of COVID variants which are showing up in other provinces now. She says there are four variants she is worried about especially the U-K and African variants which are highly transmissible and highly contagious. Russell says “it will outrun our ability to contact trace and self isolate.”

Russell says the variants will come to New Brunswick – “if they are not already here.” Public Health is testing for the variants with samples being sent to a national lab in Winnipeg for analysis. So far – results have come back negative.

NB Chief Medical Officer of Health – Dr Jennifer Russell – describes how quickly new COVID variants can spread through a nursing home environment

More on what Public Health is doing related to the variants can be found here.