Omicron has come to New Brunswick.
In a news conference Monday afternoon, Chief Medical Officer Jennifer Russell announced three cases of the latest variant of concern in the province, with another four connected cases presumed to be Omicron. Two of the confirmed cases are in Zone 7, the Miramichi region, and one case is in Zone 1, the Moncton region. Public Health says all cases are connected to the current outbreak in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.
In response, the province is putting in place additional public health measures starting this Friday, including closing K to 6 schools a week early, for an extended Christmas break.
Premier Blaine Higgs also said that households would return to a “Steady 20” limit on contacts, in addition to the 20 person limit on gatherings. Starting Friday, businesses will also see some changes, with capacities reduced by 50% at cinemas and entertainment centres, and increased 2-metre distancing requirements in restaurants, spas, and gyms.
The measures are similar to those being put in place in Nova Scotia, where 40 cases of Omicron have now been identified, and daily case numbers have recently spiked.
Omicron has been found to be about 30% more transmissible than the Delta variant, which is the dominant strain in New Brunswick right now, said Dr. Russell. “It’s a numbers game. Cases double approximately every two days. The sheer volume of cases we expect to see in Canada is quite large,” said Russell.
Russell said the jury is out on the severity of Omicron, but it has a short incubation period. “We do know that people become infected quite quickly, within two and a half days, and become symptomatic quite quickly. So at this point in time, we do expect that we’re going to have second, third, fourth generation transmission in the next four to eight days.”
The messaging was clear on Monday that the increased measures would be in place to slow the spread of the virus while booster shots roll out across the province. “We need to buy time so we can get boosters into as many people as possible,“ said Russell.
“While vaccination continues to provide a level of protection, there is evidence that booster shots are required to maximize their effectiveness against Omicron,” said Russell. “Two doses is good. Three doses is better. We need to maximize our protection in every way possible.”
In Sackville, the next health authority clinic is slated for this Friday, December 17 at the Sackville Visitor Information Centre. People can walk-in for first and second shots, but kids shots and booster shots require appointments online. Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are available.
In addition, the Corner Drug Store is offering appointments for shots for people 12 and over, and they ask patrons to register for appointments on their website. They are not offering paediatric shots for those aged 5 to 11 due to capacity issues.
Details on new measures
The new measures are not quite the level 2 of the province’s recently announced winter plan. (One reporter suggested they be dubbed level 1.5)
Higgs said the province was working with colleagues in Nova Scotia and making an effort to be as consistent as possible.
The New Brunswick changes coming into effect immediately include:
- Organized sport and all other organized activities for children under 12 are prohibited.
- For those 12 and older, practices and skills drills are permitted involving only a single team at a time, under an operational plan that includes reasonable effort to ensure distancing and sanitization.
- Students in kindergarten through Grade 6 will begin their holiday break on Friday, Dec.17, at the end of the regular school day.
And the following measures won’t come into effect until Friday at midnight:
- People must limit their household contacts to a maximum of a Steady 20.
- Distancing must be maintained at all times in businesses, retail establishments, gyms, salons and spas. Patrons are permitted to dine at restaurants but a distance of two metres must be maintained between tables and proof of vaccination is still required.
- Entertainment centres, including movie theatres, professional sporting events, casinos, etc., will be operating at 50 per cent capacity with distancing of two metres.
Case Update from province:
