N.B. COVID-19 roundup: 9 new cases, 2 false positives identified

New Brunswick recordednine new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, sixof them in the Edmundston region, Zone 4.

The Moncton region, Zone 1, has two new cases, while the Saint John region, Zone 2, has one.

The total number of active cases is 141.

Twenty people are in hospital, 12of whom are in intensive care.

Public Health has revised the total number of confirmed cases.Two previously reported cases in Zone 4 have been removed from the list because offalse positive results, according to a news release.

"The lab is working to determine the cause," it said.

The ninenew casesbreak down in this way:

Monctonregion, Zone 1: two

• An individual 20 to 29. This case is a contact of a previously reported case.
• An individual 30to 39. This case is travel-related.

Saint John region, Zone 2: one

• An individual 80 to 89. This case is travel-related.

Edmundstonregion, Zone 4: six

• Three people 19 or under.
• An individual 30 to 39.
• Two people 50 to 59.

Four are these cases are contacts of a previously confirmed case and two are under investigation.

New Brunswick has had 1,767 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March 2020. There have been 33 COVID-related deaths and 1,592 recoveries.

Atotal of 273,193 tests have been conducted to date, including1,382 on Thursday.

The following chart shows the active case rates and total case rates for each of the province's seven zones, based on population numbers provided by the Department of Health and on current case counts.

*per 100,000 population

Positive case at daycare

A positive case of COVID-19 has beenconfirmed at a daycarein Edmundston, Public Health announced on Friday.

Garderie Mlubulles is closed and contact tracing is underway, according to a news release.

All staff, children and their families have been advisedto self-isolate until Sunday at midnight.

"If you do not hear directly from Public Health, you have not been identified as a close contact," the release said.

QMJHL announces updated playoff format

TheQuebec Major Junior Hockey League announced Friday the regular season in the Maritimes division will end Sunday, citingthe reopening of theAtlantic bubble being delayed until May 3

The Halifax MooseheadsandCape Breton Eagles won'ttake part in the 2021 President Cup playoffs, according to a news release.

Meanwhile, the three New Brunswick-based teams will play in a nine-game round-robin tournament,with the winner facing off against the Charlottetown Islanders in the Maritimes division final.

The league will determine the format of the round-robin tournament and the schedule in the upcoming days, the release said.

The President Cup semifinals will group three teams from Quebec and one team from the Maritimes in a single "protected environment event." Teams will be seeded based on the 2020-2021 overall standings.

The schedule and location of the event will be determined at a later date, the league said.

The Moncton Wildcats are reminding fans to hold onto their unused season tickets.These will continueto be used in sequential order for all Wildcats home playoff games, it said in an email.

Edmundston hospital continues to cope

The Edmundston Regional Hospital continuesto cope with the majority of the province's hospitalized COVID-19 patients,according to an update issued by theVitalit Health Network on Friday.

It has 12 COVID patients, six of whom are in intensive care, including five on respirators.

The hospital has only nine intensive care beds.

No COVID patients have had to be transferred to another hospital since April 7, however. One patient was transferred to Fredericton that day and two the day before.

The emergency department remains open forpeople who require emergency care and want to see a doctor.

"However, we ask that people whose health condition does not require urgent care make an appointment with their family doctor or nurse practitioner, consult with their community pharmacist, visit a walk-in clinic or call Tele-Care (811)," Vitali said.

Some ambulatory care services and elective surgeries are reduced temporarily. For now, Vitalit is asking peopleto plan to attend theirappointments, as scheduled, and said it will contact them if they need to reschedule.

Orange level begins in Grand Falls region

The communities of Saint-Lonard, Grand Falls, Drummond, New Denmark and Four Falls in the Edmundston region, Zone 4, are now in the less restrictive orange COVID-19 alert level.

They were moved from the red level Thursday at midnight after the COVID-19 situation improved, the chief medical officer of health said.

Under the orangelevel, people may expand theirhousehold bubbleto include a Steady 10list of contacts, with whom they may dine out, Health Minister Dorothy Shephardsaid during Thursday's COVID-19 briefing.

Masks are mandatory in indoor public spaces, as well as in outdoor public spaces when physical distancing cannot be maintained.Masks are also required when accessing food through the drive thru window.

In addition to restaurant dining rooms, salons, spas,gyms and entertainmentcentres can reopen.

In-person services at faith venues are limited to a maximum of 50 participants, depending on the size of the facility, and recreational and sports organizations can resume operations but are limited to holding practices.

A section of Zone 4, including Edmundston and the Upper Madawaska region, remains under lockdown for at least another week.

No travel is permitted in and out of the lockdown area or within the lockdown area except "when necessary," such as for vaccinations, medical appointments, work or to purchase essential goods,Shephard advised.

Travel is not recommended in or out of areas at the orange level, but is allowed among areas at the less restrictive yellow level.

The Saint-Quentin and Kedgwick regions in Zone 4, along with the rest of the province, remain at the yellow level.

New possible exposures

Moncton region, Zone 1:

• April 14 between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.,Urban Planet, Walmart and H&M CF Champlain (477 Paul St., Dieppe)

Edmundstonregion, Zone 4:

• April 9, between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Subway at the Edmundston Regional Hospital, 275 Hbert Blvd.

Previous exposure notices

Public Health has identified a positive case in a traveller who may have been infectious on the following flights on April 2:

• Air Canada Flight 396 from Calgary to Montreal, departed at 1:10 a.m.
• Air Canada Flight 8898 from Montreal to Moncton, departed at 8:35 a.m.

Moncton region, Zone 1:

• April 8 between 4:45 and 5:30 p.m. COSTCO Wholesale customer service (140 Granite Dr., Moncton)
• April 6 between 5 and 8 p.m. YMCA Vaughan Harvey, (30 War Veterans Ave., Moncton)
• April 4 between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Moncton Wesleyan Church (945 St. George Blvd., Moncton)
• April 3 between 8:00 and 9:30 p.m. Kelseys Original Roadhouse (141 Trinity Dr., Moncton)
• April 1between 12 and 1 p.m.,April 3between 1 and 1:30 p.m.,April 6between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m.,April 8between 2 and 4 p.m. CF Champlain (477 Paul St., Dieppe)

Saint John region, Zone 2:

• March 29 and April 1, Guardian Drugs-Herring Cove Pharmacy (924 Rte. 774, Unit 2, Welshpool, Campobello Island)
• March 31, Service New Brunswick (73 Milltown Blvd., St. Stephen)
• March 31, Giant Tiger (210 King St., St. Stephen)
• March 31, Kent Building Supplies (188 King St., St. Stephen)
• March 31,Carman's Diner (164 King St., St. Stephen)
• April 9 between 2:10 and 2:40 p.m., GAP Factory East Point, (15 Fashion Dr., Saint John)
• April 9 between 5 and 6 p.m. McAllister Place, 519 Westmorland Rd., Saint John
• April 8 between 12 and 1 p.m., McAllister Place, 519 Westmorland Rd., Saint John
• April 8 between 1:15and 2 p.m. Service New Brunswick, 15 King Square North, Saint John
• April 1 between 6 and 7:30 p.m. YMCA of Greater Saint John (191 Churchill Blvd., Saint John)

Fredericton region, Zone 3:

• March 31 Murray's Irving Big Stop (198 Beardsley Rd., Beardsley)

Edmundston region, Zone 4:

• April 10, between 11 a.m. and noon, Staples, 11 Centre Madawaska Blvd.
• April 10, between noon and 1 p.m., Walmart, 805 Victoria St.
• April 7, 8 and 9, Canada Post (4 Grondin St., Edmundston)
• April 8 and 9 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Fentre Unique (130 Rivire la Truite Rd., Edmundston)
• April 8 and 9,National Bank, (111 de l'glise St., Edmundston)
• April 9 between 12:00and 1:30 p.m. Shoppers Drug Mart (160 Hbert Blvd.,Edmundston)
• April 8 between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m., April 7 between 6:30and 7:00 a.m., and April 6 between 6:30and 7:00 a.m. Tim Hortons (262 Isidore-Boucher Blvd.,St-Jacques)
• April 7 after 6:00 p.m., April 6 after 6:00 p.m. Epicerie Chez ti-Marc (256 Isidore-Boucher Blvd., St-Jacques)
• April 7 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., and April 6 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Dollarama (787 Victoria St., Edmundston)
• April 7 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., and April 6 between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. NB Liquor, (575 Victoria St., Edmundston)
• April 7 between 10:30 and 11:00 a.m. Jean Coutu (177 Victoria St., Edmundston)
• April 7 between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. Subway (180 Hbert Blvd.,Edmundston)
• April 7 between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. Atlantic Superstore (577 Victoria St., Edmundston)
• April 6 between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m. Scotiabank (75 Canada Rd., Edmundston)
• March 26 to April 8 Napa Auto Parts - (260 Canada St., Edmundston)
• March 20 to April 9, Atlantic Superstore (577 Victoria St., Edmundston)
• April 5 at 11 a.m. Shoppers Drug Mart (160 Hbert Blvd.,Edmundston)
• April 1 Royal Bank (48Saint-Franois St.,Edmundston)
• March 31 between 12 and 4:30 p.m. Scotiabank (75 Canada Rd., Edmundston)
• March 30 between 12 and 4:30 p.m. Scotiabank (75 Canada Rd., Edmundston)
• March 29 between 8:45 a.m. and 4 p.m. Scotiabank (75 Canada Rd., Edmundston)

What to do if you have a symptom

People concerned they might have COVID-19 symptoms cantake a self-assessment test online.

Public Health says symptoms shown by people with COVID-19 have included:

• Fever above 38 C.

• New cough or worsening chronic cough.

• Sore throat.

• Runny nose.

• Headache.

• New onset of fatigue, muscle pain, diarrhea, loss of sense of taste or smell.

• Difficulty breathing.

In children, symptoms have also included purple markings on the fingers and toes.

People with one of those symptoms should:

• Stay at home.

• Call Tele-Care 811 or their doctor.

• Describe symptoms and travel history.

• Follow instructions.