New Brunswick is reporting 118 new cases of COVID-19 and 107 recoveries on Monday.The province also revealed that out of 568 positive samples sent in for sequencing, 31 cases have been confirmed to be the Omicron variant. Of note, all travel-related cases were among those that were sent in for sequencing.“Though the number of confirmed Omicron cases have so far been relatively low in our province, given what we are seeing in neighbouring provinces, it is important we remain vigilant and do whatever we can to slow the spread of this variant,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health, in a release.“Understanding that Omicron is highly transmissible, Public Health focused on case investigations so that possible cases could be isolated quickly.” Story continues below advertisement There are now 42 people in hospital, including 17 in intensive care. Six of the people in hospital were initially admitted for a separate reason but contracted COVID-19 due to an outbreak at a hospital. Trending Stories Of those in hospital, 26 are over the age of 60 and seven people are on a ventilator. There is no one under 19 hospitalized.Currently, 82.6 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, 89.5 per cent have received their first dose, and 14 per cent have received a booster dose.The province said more than a million rapid tests have been handed out to students in New Brunswick. The last day of classes for students in Grade 7 and 8 will be Tuesday, while students in grades 9-12 will be dismissed at noon on Thursday.Students in kindergarten through Grade 6 began their holiday break last Friday, one week ahead of schedule.“All students are being provided rapid tests to use throughout the holidays and before they return to class in January,” read the release.Breakdown of the new casesThe new cases Monday include:14 in Zone 1 (Moncton region)24 in Zone 2 (Saint John region)53 in Zone 3 (Fredericton region)17 in Zone 4 (Edmundston region)four in Zone 6 (Bathurst region)six in Zone 7 (Miramichi region) 1:22COVID-19 restrictions hit N.B.’s entertainment scene once again © 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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