N.B. COVID-19 roundup: 0 new cases, low weekend vaccination rates put Aug. 2 reopening in doubt

New Brunswick reported no new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, but low vaccination rates over the weekend have raised doubts the province will reach its goal of having a certain percentage of residents fully vaccinated by Aug. 2, according to one data cruncher.

Only 414 COVID-19 vaccines were administered on Sunday, according to the COVID-19 dashboardthe lowest number since at least March, saidOliver Dueck,a software developer based in Fredericton,who has been tracking the province's vaccine data for the past few months.

Of the doses administered,371 were second doses and 43 were first doses, he said.

A total of 58.1 per cent of New Brunswickers aged 12 or older are now fully vaccinated, while 80.4 per cent have received at least one dose.

On Saturday, just 1,233New Brunswickers rolled up their sleeves to receive their second dose and 227 to get their first shot, the dashboard shows.

The seven-day average of doses administered has now fallen below 8,000 for the first time since June 6, saidDueck.

At the current pace, he predicts the province will hits its path to green target to have 75 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers fully vaccinated two days late, by Aug. 4.

Once the 75 per cent threshold is reached,the province will end the state of emergency mandatory order andlift all Public Health restrictions, providedCOVIDhospitalizations remain low and all health regions remain at the yellow COVID alert level.

Department of Health officials declined to comment on the projected delayed reopening, the low weekend numbers, or what might be contributing to them.

But spokesperson Shawn Berry did say data from vaccination clinics can take up to 48 hours to be reported to Public Health and displayed onthe COVID-19 dashboard.

"This has been the case since we started the [vaccination] campaign," Berry said in an emailed statement. It was mentionedin a March 17 news release and is stated on the dashboard itself, he said.

Berry did not respond to questions about why the results might take so long or how much the numbers might be off by.

"We encourage anyone eligible to book an appointment as soon as they can for their second dose," he said.

Anyone 12 or older is eligible to receive aCOVID-19 vaccine, and anyone who has received a first dose can get a second dose after 28 days.

As of Monday, nearly a quarter of of the people who received a first dose hadn't seized the opportunity to get a second one when they became eligible, according to Dueck. That leaves about 125,000people who are eligible for their second dose who haven't received it yet, he said.

About 23,000 of the people eligible for their second dose are between the ages of 12 and 19, said Berry.

Asked whether limited access to the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine the only vaccine approved for use in Canada for anyone under 18 might be contributing to the lower doses administered, he replied: "In every region of the province, there are appointments available at clinics for both the Moderna vaccine and Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, which can be offered to those 12 to 17.

"More vaccine is expected later this week and more appointments will be opened for booking."

Last week, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Jennifer Russellsaid the province had beenbeen receiving fewer doses of Pfizerthan expectedand wasusing the productit did have to vaccinate youth.

The province expects to receive its "full shipment" of 64,350 doses of Pfizer this week, with another 76,050 doses slated for next week, Russell said.

"We are not anticipating a shortage of this product, and we will continue to offer it and Moderna at our vaccination clinics," she said.

The province is holding more mobile walk-inModernaclinics this week to help make getting first and second doses more convenient.

"Even if you received a different vaccine as your first dose, you can still receive Moderna for your second dose due to the interchangeability of COVID-19 vaccines," Public Health said in a news release.

Clinics were heldMonday in Saint John and Drummond.

The other clinicsbeing held this week include:

• Clair Saint-Francois-d'Assise, 678 Rue Prinicipale, on Tuesday, between noon and 6 p.m.
• Village of Gagetown Recreation Centre, 38 Mill Rd., on Wednesday, between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.
• Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska Municipal Hall, 75 Rue Prinicipale, on Wednesday, between noon and 6 p.m.
• Kedgwick La Salle du Citoyen, 4 Saint-Jean St., on Thursday, between noon and 6 p.m.
• Southampton Middle Southampton Community Hall, 1782 Route 105, on Thursday, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• St. Martins Four Seasons Complex, 2551 Route 111, on Friday, between noon and 5 p.m.
• Saint-Lonard Ambulance New Brunswick station, 523 St-Jean St., Unit A, on Friday, between noon and 6 p.m.

People canbookan appointment onlinethrough a Horizon orVitalithealth network clinic orthrough aparticipating pharmacy.

They are asked to bring their Medicare card, asigned consent formand, for those receiving a second dose, a copy of the record of immunization they received after gettingtheir first dose.

People who booked an appointment but were able to get vaccinated sooner elsewhere are askedto cancel the appointment they no longer need.

Only 14% of AstraZeneca recipients got 2 doses

About 90 per centofNew Brunswickerswho received an AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine as their first dose are now fully vaccinated,according to the Department of Health.

Only about 14 per cent of the AstraZeneca recipients received AstraZeneca as their second dose,said department spokesperson Shawn Berry.

About 45 per cent received a Pfizer-BioNTechvaccine as their second shot, while31 per centreceived Moderna, he said, based on figuresas of late last week.

About43,000 New BrunswickersgotAstraZenecaas their first dose, Berry has previously said.

"Anyone who received a first dose of AstraZeneca is eligible to receive an mRNA vaccine as a second dose. For anyone who chooses a second dose of AstraZeneca there are clinics being offered," he said in an emailed statement Monday.

The Horizon and Vitalit health networksareholding clinics over the next two weeks forAstraZenecarecipients who wishto receiveAstraZeneca as their second dose,with informed consent, Public Health announced last week.

The clinics come as the province hasroughly10,000 doses of AstraZenecaset to expireat the end of August, and approximately 200 more due to expire at the end of October.

Earlier this month,nearly 1,000 doses had to be destroyedbecause they expired.

New Brunswick has already offered 8,000 of its doses for reallocation by the federal government, Berry said.

"Following the upcoming clinics there will be a better sense of additional doses available [to] identify to the federal government for reallocation."

On June 17, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, or NACI,updated its recommendations to sayan mRNA vaccine, such as Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna,was "preferred" as a second dose for AstraZeneca recipients, and mitigates the rare risk of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) a rare condition that causes blood clots combined with low platelets.

Two New Brunswickers have diedfrom VITTafter getting the AstraZeneca vaccine. Two others also suffered blood clots following vaccination, but recovered.

The AstraZeneca clinics will be held:

• July 20 inMiramichiandCampbellton.
• July 22 inFredericton.
• July 23 inMoncton and Bathurst.
• July 26 inEdmundston, Grand Falls and Saint-Quentin.
• July 28 inSaint John.

People who are55 and oldercanbook an appointment online. Those whoare under the age of 55 will need to registerby calling 1-833-437-1424.

8 active cases

New Brunswick has eight active cases of COVID-19, Public Health reported Monday.

No one is hospitalized with the respiratory disease.

New Brunswick has had 2,346confirmed cases of COVIDduring the pandemic. There have been 2,291recoveries so far and 46 COVID-related deaths.

A total of373,571tests have been conducted, including396 on Sunday.

Atlantic COVID roundup

Nova Scotia reported nonew cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the active caseload in the province to seven.

Newfoundland and Labrador reported four new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, allcrew members aboard a ship anchored in Bay Bulls.There are now 50 active cases in the province, but only one is on land, in the Eastern Health region, with the remainder on two shipsanchored in Conception Bay.

P.E.I. has no known active cases ofCOVID-19.

What to do if you have a symptom

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

Public Health says symptoms of the illness have included a fever above 38 C, a new or worsening cough, sore throat, runny nose, headache, a new onset of fatigue, and 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 Call Tele-Care 811 or their doctor, and follow instructions.