New Brunswickers who received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before May 15 can now book an appointment for their second dose through a participating pharmacy or at a Vitalité or Horizon health network clinic.

“Additional doses of vaccine are now arriving in the province,” said Health Minister Dorothy Shephard. “Because of this, we are pleased to be able to expand eligibility so more New Brunswickers can book an appointment for their second dose.”

On Monday, June 21, eligibility for second dose appointments will be extended to everyone, if at least 28 days has passed since their first dose.

“Right now, ensuring all New Brunswickers are fully vaccinated once they are eligible for their second dose is paramount,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health. “COVID-19 will continue to be part of our lives, but as vaccinations continue to increase, we will see less severe cases of the virus, fewer hospitalizations and fewer deaths.”

Currently, 75.9 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 15.9 per cent are fully vaccinated.

To receive their second dose, New Brunswickers are asked to bring a signed consent form, their Medicare card and a copy of the record of immunization provided after receiving their first dose. If possible, residents are asked to book an appointment at the same pharmacy or clinic at which they received their first dose.

Appointments for people who have not yet received their first dose continue to be available to all New Brunswickers aged 12 and older at regional health authority clinics and through participating pharmacies.

If you received Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech, you can book an appointment for either vaccine for your second dose. They work the same way and have similar levels of safety and effectiveness.

If you received the AstraZeneca vaccine for your first dose and are under the age of 55, it is recommended that you receive an mRNA vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech) as your second dose, unless contraindicated. If you are 55 or older, you can receive a second dose of AstraZeneca or of an mRNA vaccine.

Three new cases

Public Health reported three new cases Friday.

The three cases in Zone 3 (Fredericton region) are as follows:

  • two people 70-79; and
  • an individual 80-89.

All three cases are contacts of previously confirmed cases.

Revised case count

Public Health is revising the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in New Brunswick.

A previously identified case has been removed from the list because the lab confirmed it as a false positive. The case was originally reported in Zone 1 (Moncton region).

The number of confirmed cases in New Brunswick is 2,311. Since yesterday, nine people have recovered for a total of 2,211 recoveries. There have been 45 deaths, and the number of active cases is 54. Six patients are hospitalized in New Brunswick, including two in an intensive care unit. Yesterday, 916 tests were conducted for a total of 355,721.

Reminder of Yellow level

All zones are in the Yellow level under the province’s mandatory order. New Brunswick is in Phase 2 on the path to Green.

Why do cats have whiskers? Why do they meow? Why do they nap so much? And answers to 47 other kitty questions:

Why do they meow? Why do they nap so much? Why do they have whiskers? Cats, and their undeniably adorable babies known as kittens, are mysterious creatures. Their larger relatives, after all, are some of the most mystical and lethal animals on the planet. Many questions related to domestic felines, however, have perfectly logical answers. Here’s a look at some of the most common questions related to kittens and cats, and the answers cat lovers are looking for.

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