Premier of New Brunswick Blaine Higgs joined Chief Medical Officer of New Brunswick Dr. Jennifer Russell at a COVID-19 press conference in Fredericton on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, to announce another exciting milestone in the province's COVID-19 recovery: More than 55 per cent of the province’s population over the age of 12 have now received at least one dose of a vaccine. 

“We continue to make incredible progress in rolling out our vaccination plan,” said Premier Higgs. “We expect that 60 per cent of New Brunswickers will be vaccinated by the end of this week. This is positive news, but even if you have received your first dose or are fully vaccinated, it is imperative that everyone continues to follow the guidelines for the Yellow alert level.”

More than 60,500 people were vaccinated in New Brunswick last week, and Premier Higgs expects that vaccine rollout to continue on a successful path forward. 

Dr. Russell pointed out that, although a full recovery from the pandemic is on the horizon, we are still not out of the woods yet. Public Health has declared an outbreak at Ti Bons Soins, a memory care home in Shediac (Zone 1). Members of the Provincial Rapid Outbreak Management Team are on site providing support for residents and the facility’s care team. Testing of residents and staff will take place today.

“We are working hard to protect our most vulnerable residents,” said Dr. Russell. “While vaccinations are helping, we must remain vigilant to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities.”