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The Georges L. Dumont public hospital stands in Moncton on Oct. 8, 2020.Marc Grandmaison/The Canadian Press

New Brunswick is reporting 12 new cases of COVID-19 on the day it formally pulls out of the Atlantic bubble.

Health officials said Friday the province had 114 active cases of the disease linked to the novel coronavirus.

Seven of the new cases are in the Saint John area, three are in the Moncton region and two are in the Fredericton area.

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Officials say the cases in Saint John involve three people in their 20s and four people in their 30s, while the three cases in Moncton involve two people in their 50s and one person over 60. Fredericton’s cases involve two people in their 60s.

All three affected health regions are under the heightened “orange” pandemic-alert level and Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province’s chief medical officer of health, says there shouldn’t be any non-essential travel in and out of these zones.

New Brunswick announced Thursday it would withdraw as of Friday from the so-called Atlantic bubble, which had allowed the region’s residents to cross into the four Atlantic provinces without having to isolate for 14 days.

The province has reported a total of 477 COVID-19 infections, 356 recoveries and seven deaths linked to the virus. One person is currently in hospital being treated for the disease.

All visitors to New Brunswick – including from other provinces in the Atlantic region – now need to isolate for 14 days upon arrival. Visitors are also required to register before entering the province.

Premier Blaine Higgs said Thursday that although community transmission hasn’t been confirmed in the province, it was a “real concern,” which he said motivated his decision to leave the bubble.

The province joined Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island, which pulled out of the bubble earlier this week because of concerns about community spread reported in Nova Scotia.

Meanwhile, for the first time since the end of April, Newfoundland and Labrador reported more than 30 active cases of COVID-19. The province reported four new infections today, for a total of 31 active cases across the province.

One of the new cases involves a man in his 60s in the eastern region of the province whose infection is related to another identified case. A man and a woman in their 50s in the eastern region as well as a woman in her 40s in the western region have also tested positive.

Canadian authorities are assessing COVID-19 vaccine candidates while trials are underway, speeding up any eventual approval for wide use. But science reporter Ivan Semeniuk says it’s likely high-risk people will be prioritized for receiving any vaccine first, with some possibly getting it as early as the first part of 2021.

The Globe and Mail

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