Public Health reported 14 new cases of COVID-19 throughout the province on Tuesday.
There are eight new cases in the Edmundston health region (Zone 4), all contacts of previous cases.
There were also four new cases in the Moncton region (Zone 1) and one each in the Saint John (Zone 2) and Fredericton (Zone 3) health regions. Those six cases are all travel-related.
There are 126 active cases, with more than 1,000 people in self-isolation as of Tuesday. Five people are currently in the hospital, two of which require intensive care.
One case from the Moncton zone was removed from the count due to a false positive test for COVID-19.
Much of Zone 4 remains in the red level and the restrictions were extended to include Saint-Léonard, Grand Falls, Drummond, New Denmark and Four Falls on Monday night.
Chief medical health officer Dr. Jennifer Russell said the circuit-breaker method in Zone 4 is working but more time will be needed. It is believed 82 per cent of the cases in that zone come from the U.K. variant.
Russell said if you don’t need to travel in and out of the Edmundston region, don’t. She reminds residents if they have any symptoms to get tested.
Meanwhile, the province changed the eligibility of a previously-planned AstraZeneca vaccination clinic in Saint John on Thursday following a national directive to pause AstraZeneca vaccines to people under 55.
On Tuesday, the clinic was opened up to anyone 55 and older who lives in the Saint John region. Registration was full within hours.
Health Minister Dorothy Shephard and Russell said the risk connected to the AstraZeneca vaccine is low and the move is being made out of caution.
Russell assured people who are concerned about taking the AstraZeneca vaccine that it is safe, adding that she would take it herself.
Shephard said there aren’t concerns of the Atlantic Bubble being at risk but the provinces continue to stay in touch.
