For
sale signs along properties in Moncton in 2020, a year when the New
Brunswick Real Estate Association reported there were 1,025 real estate
agents in the province. That climbed to 1,245 as of December last year. (Shane Magee/CBC)
Amanda
Ryan wanted a career where she could put her business and people skills
to use. She closed her cleaning business of seven years and in June of
last year became a Realtor.
"You're part of something really
special," Ryan said in an interview. "You don't buy homes every day.
That's going to be the home that people live in. They're going to make
memories here. They're going to have families, they're going to have
birthdays and Christmases.
"So to be able to hand that key to someone and say, 'Congratulations, this is your new home,' it's a huge thrill."
Ryan, with Keller Williams Capital Realty in Moncton, is among hundreds of newly licensed real estate agents in New Brunswick.
Amanda Ryan became a Realtor in the Moncton-area last year. (Jessica Gautreau/Submitted by Amanda Ryan)
Figures
from the New Brunswick Real Estate Association show the number of
licensed agents remained relatively stable over eight years, ranging
from a low of 780 in 2016 up to 930 in 2019.
Then the number climbed to 1,025 at the end of 2020 and again to 1,245 as of December of 2021.
It's
an increase Dwayne Hayes is familiar with as the group's director of
education and IT systems. It's a role that sees him talking to each
prospective agent for a practicum.
Hayes says he can't give a definitive reason for the growth in recent years.
"We
don't really track their reasons for coming into this industry." Hayes
said. "But you know, it's an exciting industry and people are always
looking for a new career opportunity."
Dwayne
Hayes, director of education and IT systems with the New Brunswick Real
Estate Association, says they've noticed the increase in people
becoming Realtors. (CBC)
The
growth coincides with a hot housing market. Average home prices across
the province climbed sharply in recent years, increasing 25 per cent
over the last year to $248,214.
Active listings in December were the lowest in two decades, an association news release says.
Ryan said she suspects the market has influenced people to move into the industry.
"They think there's all this money and all this stuff happening," Ryan said.
Getting listings is almost like getting gold these days.
- Amanda Ryan
She said it has made it an interesting time to become a Realtor.
"Getting listings is almost like getting gold these days. Everyone wants to find listings," Ryan said.
It means helping customers navigate multiple offers so they don't overpay.
"It's really great when you do get that signed offer and you get to hand the keys to someone and say 'Here you go.'"
Methinks Dwayne Hayes should have taught them what I know about the title Insurance companies, many lawyers and SNB N'esy Pas?
Jos Allaire
Realtors?
Rhymes with real actors!
David Amos
Content deactivated
Reply to @Jos Allaire: All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
They say Willy Boy wrote it
But its hard telling knowing for sure
Robert G. Holmes
What have Realtors ever done to support and promote Community Housing?
Buford Wilson
(Unfortunately that’s not in their job description, Robert.)
Jos Allaire
Reply to @Buford Wilson: Their job description is to rip people off!
David Amos
Reply to @Jos Allaire: Tut Tut Tut
Jos Allaire
They do nothing except pocket a hefty commission.
Jos Allaire
I'm about to sell my
last piece of real estate. Never used a realtor before. There is no need
of them in this day and age. They don't work for neither the seller nor
the buyer. They work for themselves.
peter clause
Reply to @Jos
Allaire: right on the money. I buy rental complex and refuse to go with
realtor why? I tell the owner that if he wants to take a realtor that’s
ok but I’m representing myself and taking the cut. I need a lawyer
anyhow. Just golibal people will fall for it.
David Amos
Reply to @Jos Allaire: Amen
Jos Allaire
I'm about to sell my
last piece of real estate. Never used a realtor before. There is no need
of them in this day and age. They do nothing except pocket a hefty
commission and constantly operate in flagrant conflicts of interest.
They don't work for neither the seller nor the buyer. They work for
themselves.
David Amos
Reply to @Jos Allaire: I like Kijiji
Jos Allaire
Reply to @David Amos:
That's what I use, all the time. Property Guys called me to advertise
with them and I told them to be my guest provided they charge me the
same price as Kijiji.
Why buy a cow when you can get the milk for nothing, eh?
David Amos
Content deactivated
Reply to @Jos Allaire: Methinks you and Maggy think a lot alike N'esy Pas?
Jos Allaire
Reply to @David Amos: Maybe we do!
Francois Dechamplain
Obviously
there are more and more realtors. No special skills required to lock
and unlock a door, sign your name a few times and bring buyers to a
house you didn't even took the time to learn the listing and then you
charge an easy 5% of the amount of the house the owner took years to
build that equity for just a few hours of your time. People, you can
sell your house, you can buy a house without a realtor you just need a
good lawyer. The most useless profession and they all make a few hundred
grand a year right here in NB.
Jos
Allaire
Reply to @Francois Dechamplain: Hear! Hear!
David Amos
Reply to @Francois Dechamplain: Please name a "good lawyer"
Jos
Allaire
Reply to @David Amos: At least, they must do some amount of work and charge way less than realtors.
David Amos
Reply to @Jos
Allaire: They do even less work and sometimes intentionally do far worse
damage to their clients than mere incompetence could possibly justfy
Billy Joe
Mcallister
So
the Conservative gov't Covid recovery plan starting to come to light -
Escalate the cost of housing by advertising in Toronto what a great
place to live NB is then all those NB'ers that were adversely affected
by vaccine mandates can become real estate agents. Can't miss!
Johnny Lawrence
Reply to @Billy Joe
Mcallister: you have broken this case wide open Sherlock, well done.
The "Plague Rat Express" that was in Ottawa this weekend, those are
actually house moving trucks moving more people here, but being done
secretly and using the convoy as a cover, shhhh, keep this on the down
low and you did not hear this from me.
Vincent Furnier
Reply to @Johnny Lawrence: "Plague Rat Express" You owe me a coffee as most of mine just came out through my nose. Lol.
Billy Joe
Mcallister
Reply to @Johnny
Lawrence: Elementary Watson...Looks like another "clear cut' case
selling out the province to the highest bidder. Speaking of Ottawa, I
was sure you would be there in the midst of the protest moonlighting as
a government agent provocateur.
Johnny Lawrence
Reply to @Vincent Furnier: I can't take credit for that one, a heard it from a trucker of 26 years.
Johnny Lawrence
Reply to @Billy Joe
Mcallister: wait, people sell things for the most money, bizarre.
Spending 5 minutes with that group cuts intelligence levels in half.
David Amos
Content deactivated
Reply to @Vincent Furnier: Why is it that I am not laughing?
Jos
Allaire
Reply to @David Amos: Me neither.
Rick
Randall
Its
been a good time for me, I just show up for the many open houses and do
my Hmm and Haw routine while eating the provided pastries and coffee
before moving onto the next one.
Bryan
Jones
Reply to @Rick
Randall: Aim for the high end properties and it's like a guided tour
around a stately home for free with free food thrown in.
Rick
Randall
Reply to @Bryan
Jones: Those are delicious... they do get upset though when I use their
Master and guest bathrooms, I was told I could keep their embroidered
hand towels after I used them because they "couldnt get that out with
even the strongest of detergents"
Buford Wilson
(Did you wipe your behind with the hand towels, Rick?
David Amos
Reply to @Buford Wilson: Yet my comments are erased???
Charlie Thepyr
Great
article. It takes hard work and perseverance to become successful along
with a caring attitude and pleasant personality and Amanda has all of
this covered. I am sure Amanda will have a long successful career in
what ever she puts her mind to.
Jane Smith
Reply to @Charlie Thepyr: Thanks "Amanda" for your input!
David Amos
Reply to @Jane Smith: LOL
Eddy Jay
Too bad there is no
inventory to sell. My wife was a realtor for 20 years back in the 90's.
Got her license again last spring. Packed it in after a month after
realizing how toxic the business is. Cut throat an unethical to say the
least.
Save your money and pick another career.
Jos
Allaire
Reply to @Eddy Jay: How can they trust their own when they know what they are?
David Amos
Reply to @Eddy Jay: Here Here
Jos
Allaire
Reply to @David Amos: Hear hear, David!
David Amos
Reply to @Jos Allaire: There There Maggy
Methinks you don't appreciate my playing with words N'esy Pas?
And of those in hospital, only 67 are hospitalized for COVID-19, while the other 98 are hospitalized with COVID,
meaning they were admitted for something else when they tested positive
for the virus — although the condition they were hospitalized for could
have been exacerbated by their previously undiagnosed COVID.
Patients
hospitalized with COVID are included in the overall total because they
may develop acute or severe symptoms of COVID-19 during their hospital
stay, and the increase in resources needed to take care of these
patients, such as additional personal protective equipment and dedicated
wings, adds "strain to the hospital system which cannot be
discounted," said Department of Health spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane.
No
information about whether they tested positive upon admission or
following their admission is provided. If they test positive after
admission, "it does not necessarily indicate that this infection was
acquired within hospital," said Macfarlane.
"Individuals may
have been admitted carrying COVID-19 asymptomatically and developed
symptoms post-admission, which led to testing."
19 deaths since return to Level 2 Saturday
The
latest deaths include two people in their 70s and one in their 80s in
the Moncton region, Zone 1, and one person in their 70s in the Saint
John region, Zone 2, according to the COVID-19 dashboard.
No other information about them, such as any underlying health conditions or their vaccination status, has been released.
Three of the hospitalized people are 19 or under, a new category added to the COVID dashboard on Tuesday shows, and 121 are aged 60 or over.
Sixteen
people are in intensive care — two in their 30s, two in their 40s, one
in their 50s, three in their 60s, six in their 70s, and two in their
80s.
Five of them are on ventilators, a decrease of two.
The
seven-day average of hospitalizations increased to 154, from 150, while
the seven-day average of ICU admissions increased to 14, from 13.
Last
Thursday, Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health, said
officials expected hospitalizations to peak at "about 150" in
mid-February.
Hospital occupancy is listed at 88 per cent, while ICU capacity sits at 77 per cent, according to the dashboard.
The 165 people in hospital include 16 in intensive care, five of whom are on ventilators. (CBC)
There were 381 new cases of COVID-19 reported, based on PCR (polymerase chain reaction) labtests, putting the total active case count at 4,371.
An additional 521 people self-reported testing positive at home with rapid tests.
The regional breakdown of PCR-confirmed cases includes:
Moncton region, Zone 1
181 new cases and 1,640 active cases
Saint John region, Zone 2
48 new cases and 1,008 active cases
Fredericton region, Zone 3
25 new cases and 472 active cases
Edmundston region, Zone 4
43 new cases and 400 active cases
Campbellton region, Zone 5
12 new cases and 204 active cases
Bathurst region, Zone 5
45 new cases and 449 active cases
Miramichi region, Zone 7
27 cases and 198 active cases
A total of 692,601 PCR tests have been conducted to date, including 1,992 on Tuesday.
New Brunswick has had 29,494 cases of COVID since the beginning of the pandemic with 24,874 recoveries so far.
Large nursing-home outbreaks continue
The
head of the New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes says fairly
large COVID-19 outbreaks are ongoing at more than one of its member
facilities.
Villa Providence in Shediac announced this week that
62 residents have tested positive — more than double the number from
last week. And more than 40 of its employees are off isolating either
because they tested positive or were a close contact of someone with the
virus. That's more than half its staff.
Rocmaura Nursing Home
in Saint John has been dealing with a similar situation, according
to Michael Keating, the association's interim executive director.
But the outbreaks aren't hitting residents as hard as they did earlier in the pandemic, he said.
Michael
Keating, executive director of the New Brunswick Association of Nursing
Homes, says outbreaks aren't hitting residents as hard as they did
earlier in the pandemic. (Radio-Canada)
"More
people are getting it, but we're not seeing the same results.
Hopefully, that's because of vaccination and people taking proper
measures to look after people who have been afflicted. But we've been
very lucky this time in terms of the seriousness of the experience."
The big challenges, said Keating, are the staffing shortages that come with the outbreaks.
The homes are coping because dedicated employees are working extra hours, he said.
They've also received outside help from some licensed practical nurse students.
"After
a period of time, they can perform what we refer to as 'resident care
duties,' or what a registered attendant would be able to do," Keating
said. "And if we did not have them coming out to help us, that would
have really made things difficult."
Vaccine demand down to 'a trickle,' says head of pharmacists' group
The
demand for COVID-19 vaccinations in the province has slowed down
significantly, according to the head of the New Brunswick Pharmacists'
Association.
Jake Reid says there's lots of capacity in the
system, but filling all the available appointments in vaccination
clinics right now is a challenge.
Only about 3,000 people got their shots on Monday, the province's dashboard shows.
"That's a very, very low number," said Reid.
Jake
Reid, executive director of the New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association,
says having the new central online booking system for pharmacies might
help boost vaccination rates. (Submitted by Jake Reid)
"So we're really seeing a bit of a trickle right now.
Very few first doses and second doses, you know, a few hundred sort of.
But booster doses, where we really expected to see more people, there's
lots of people that should be still getting their booster doses, and the
demand is slow."
Department of Health officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As
of Wednesday, 44.7 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers have had their
booster shot, up from 44.3 per cent, 84.7 per cent have received two
doses of a vaccine, up from 84.5 per cent, and 92.2 per cent have
received one dose, up from 92.1 per cent, according to the dashboard.
As of Wednesday, 44.7 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers have received their booster dose. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
Reid says it's "surprising" that there's still "a majority" of people who could receive their booster dose, who haven't.
"When
we were getting our first doses, the demand was incredible. And then we
saw when we went to second doses that that started to peter off a
little bit. We didn't see the same escalation of demand for second dose.
And we still don't," he said, noting there's an eight per cent gap
between people who received their first dose and second dose.
"So that really fell off and then booster, it fell off even more."
The demand for pediatric doses is also much lower than expected, said Reid.
Public
Health officials were hopeful before Christmas that first doses would
be administered to 50 per cent of children aged five to 11 by the end of
2021. That threshold was reached just a couple weeks ago. As of Wednesday, the rate stands at 56.8 per cent.
A
new online booking system for pharmacies might encourage more people to
book appointments, he said. Many pharmacies have signed onto a central
system.
With files from Shift and Information Morning Moncton
Groundhog Day 2/22022: Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Six More Weeks Of Winter
Now is the winter of our discontent brought on by legions of politicians
and bureaucratic minions after 2 long years of illegal lock-down
mandates for the benefit of the wealthy few.
Methinks everybody should enjoy a little Deja Vu on Ground Hog Day until we make things right N'esy Pas?
David Amos
Content deactivated
Reply to @David Amos:
Groundhog Day is the classic film we now live every single day
Writer Megan Garber says the romantic comedy was a horror movie all along
CBC Radio · Posted: Jan 29, 2021 8:10 PM ET
"When Groundhog Day was released in 1993, the premise of the comedy film
seemed completely implausible. It was the stuff of fiction. But then
came 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, and suddenly the film seemed a
little more relatable and realistic."
There are 162 people with COVID-19 in hospital, including 17 in intensive care. Seven of them are on ventilators. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)
New
Brunswick recorded five more COVID-related deaths Tuesday, marking 15
deaths since the province returned to the less restrictive Level 2 of
the COVID-19 winter plan on the weekend and raising the pandemic death
toll to 243.
The latest deaths include a person 90 or over in
the Moncton region, Zone 1, and two people in their 70s and two people
in their 80s in the Saint John region, Zone 2.
The
number of people in hospital jumped by 10 to 162. Sixty-seven of them
are hospitalized for COVID-19 and the other 95 with COVID, meaning they
were already admitted for something else when they tested positive for
the virus.
Of those in hospital, three are 19 or under, a new category on the COVID dashboard shows, and 124 are aged 60 or over.
Seventeen people are in intensive care, all but one of them for COVID, and seven of them are on ventilators, unchanged.
The province added a new category to its COVID-19 dashboard
Tuesday, hospitalizations by age group. (Government of New Brunswick)
The
seven-day average of hospitalizations increased to 150, from 147, while
the seven-day average of ICU admissions increased to 13, from 12.
There were 228 new cases of COVID-19 reported, based on PCR (polymerase chain reaction) labtests, putting the total active case count at 4,408.
An additional 603 people self-reported testing positive at home with rapid tests.
A total of 690,609 PCR tests have been conducted to date, including 2,117 on Monday.
The
percentage of eligible New Brunswickers who have received a COVID-19
booster dose increased Tuesday to 44.3 per cent, from 44 per cent. (CBC)
The regional breakdown of PCR-confirmed cases includes:
Moncton region, Zone 1
74 new cases and 1,581 active cases
Saint John region, Zone 2
56 new cases and 1,067 active cases
Fredericton region, Zone 3
41 new cases and 503 active cases
Edmundston region, Zone 4
23 new cases and 397 active cases
Campbellton region, Zone 5
Seven new cases and 213 active cases
Bathurst region, Zone 5
15 new cases and 456 active cases
Miramichi region, Zone 7
12 cases and 191 active cases
As
of Tuesday, 44.3 per cent of eligible New Brunswick have received a
COVID-19 vaccine booster dose, up from 44 per cent, 84.5 per cent have
received two doses of a vaccine, unchanged, and 92.1 per cent have
received one dose, also unchanged.
New Brunswick has had 29,113 cases of COVID since the beginning of the pandemic with 24,460 recoveries so far.
COVID in schools
One
day after New Brunswick students resumed in-person learning, 63 public
schools in the anglophone districts each have at least one reported case
of COVID-19.
In the francophone districts, COVID exposure
advisories are in effect at 60 schools, although when they were reported
is not indicated.
Anglophone South School District says the cases at 17 of its schools include reports from last weekend.
Anglophone North School District also lumps Monday reports in with the weekend, for a total of nine schools.
But
the 24 affected schools at Anglophone West and 13 schools at Anglophone
East are all from Monday, according to their dashboards.
Among
some of the COVID-19 measures in place, all students must wear a mask
both indoors and outdoors, except K-8 students if they are outdoors and
within their class grouping. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)
District
scolaire francophone Nord-Ouest lists 15 schools with reported
cases, District scolaire francophone Nord-Est lists 21 schools
and District scolaire francophone Sud, 29 schools.
"An exposure
advisory remains in effect if there has been at least one positive case
reported in the last 10 days," the south district's website states in
French.
The Department of Education's daily summary website
of COVID-19 impacts on schools across the province hasn't been updated
since Dec. 22. "Regular updates will resume when in-person learning
resumes," it states.
"The COVID-19 summary is expected to be updated soon," department spokesperson Flavio Nienow said in an email Tuesday afternoon.
As of Dec. 22, 897 cases of COVID had been confirmed in 193 schools since Sept. 7.
Dr.
Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health, said last week there
would be "risks" with the return to school, but she was confident those
risks were "manageable."
Among some of the measures in place:
Classrooms bubbles for students in kindergarten to Grade 8
Universal indoor masking, except when eating or drinking, for staff, students at all grade levels
Outdoors, K-8 students not required to wear a mask if they're within their bubble
Limited use of wind instruments and singing
Vaccination requirements for those 12 or older for extracurricular activities, sports and clubs
KN95-grade masks or higher will be provided for teachers and staff
Well-fitting, three-layer masks are recommended for students
Families are responsible for notifying schools if their child tests positive
Public
Health used to notify schools of positive cases, conduct contact
tracing and notify close contacts, while schools or school districts
used to notify families of positive cases.
New Brunswick MPs are weighing in on the ongoing protest in Ottawa against COVID-19 rules.
Convoys
of thousands of people from across the country arrived in the national
capital Friday and demonstrations have taken over much of the city's
downtown core since then.
Fredericton Liberal MP Jenica Atwin
says the large number of participants can't be ignored, but neither can
the hateful messages some people are sending.
"I don't think the
government can just back down. I think that would send a bad precedent,
you know, to Canadians who say that if you do actions like this, that
your demands are going to be met," she said.
"I also understand
as well how important it is to be vaccinated and … in the U.S. border,
you're going to still be met with that restriction, so it doesn't really
make a lot of sense at this point either. And again, with the sheer
numbers of vaccinated Canadians, most of us have done this for our
collective well-being."
Fredericton
MP Jenica Atwin says tensions have been stoked by partisan politics,
extremist propaganda and anti-vaccine misinformation. (Zoom)
Conservative MP for New Brunswick Southwest John Williamson posted a statement of support for the protesters on Facebook.
He says they represent growing opposition to Liberal restrictions on Canadians and he agrees it's time to end lockdown measures.
Instead
of limiting travel and shutting down schools and businesses, Williamson
contends the government should focus on fixing the health-care system.
Conservative MP Jake Stewart of Miramichi-Grand Lake says he attended the protest and met a wide cross-section of Canadians.
He says the vast majority said they were vaccinated and were there because of concerns their freedoms are at stake.
Quebec scraps planned tax on unvaccinated
Quebec
Premier François Legault has scrapped his controversial plan for a
health tax for the unvaccinated, in order to protect "social cohesion"
in the province.
The tax, announced by Legault last month as
a "health contribution," would have imposed a monetary penalty on
adults who refused to get their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine for
non-medical reasons.
"I understand that this divides Quebecers and right now we have to build bridges," he announced Tuesday.
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has promised to make life "increasingly uncomfortable" for those who choose to be unvaccinated and as of last Thursday, a health tax was one of the ideas still under review.
"We
still have a report coming forward to understand the impact that those
will have and analyzing what others are doing," he told reporters during
the COVID briefing.
"There's been lots of discussion about
whether the health tax will have an impact or not, or whether it's even
being able to be put in place."
Premier
Blaine Higgs has said 'everything is on the table' as the province
looks for ways to make life 'uncomfortable' for the unvaccinated. (Government of New Brunswick/YouTube)
"We have to look at that in the context of our public health system. And where does that stop?"
He
questioned, for example, if someone who doesn't take care of their
health as well as others, or isn't as healthy, would also warrant an
additional fee.
During Thursday's briefing, Higgs said the
return to the less restrictive Level 2 would serve as "a positive
reinforcement" for those who have been vaccinated.
Methinks Groundhog Day ain't til midnight ce soir N'esy Pas?
David Amos
Reply to @David Amos: The obvious question to ask again is how many of the folks who died were vaxxed???
Ashleigh Mcsanderson
In
a series of tweets, he wrote: “Hi! As a Fredericton MLA can you let me
know how any sort of gathering is allowed under the Emergency Order,
which specifically prohibits them? New Brunswickers have given up a huge
amount over the past two years. This seems like one rule for one group,
another for everyone else.”
Two Police Associations now involved.
David Amos
Reply to @Ashleigh Mcsanderson: Welcome to the circus
Ashleigh Mcsanderson Content deactivated
If the basis for restrictions and mandates are purely scientific, each country shouldn't have its own "science."
What does vary, is politics.
David Amos
Content deactivated
Reply to @Ashleigh Mcsanderson: Check my work I never vary my opinions when it comes to politicking
Dave Ladd
Content deactivated
Cases and deaths are much higher after one year of vaccines. You do the math...
mark black
Content deactivated
Reply to @Dave Ladd:
that very well may be true . also up is the number of unvaxed in
critical care and on the tube at 70-80%, accounting for the really
spectacular drop in the numbers of those requiring just about any level
of any other medical attention.
David Amos
Content deactivated
Reply to @Dave Ladd: You go figure Trust that it ain't rocket science
Dave Corbin
so when do we go back to level 1?
David Amos
Content deactivated
Reply to @Dave Corbin: Inspire a revolt within Higgy's circus just like what is happening to O'Toole right now
Methinks everybody must have had enough of the lefty turncoat Cardy hogging the limelight and the butter tarts too N'esy Pas?
JOhn D Bond
Reply to @Dave Corbin: Likely in the spring, it is called a Winter plan.
Ashleigh Mcsanderson
Reply to @JOhn D Bond:
Ah yes The Plan. The Winter Plan.
Too funny.
There never was a Plan
Ferdinand Boudreau
Reply to @Dave Corbin: This week I hope
Dave Ladd
Canada’s
federal budget is allocating 507 MILLION dollars to vaccine procurement
and pandemic preparedness for the year 2026-2027. They have also
committed to purchase 11 vaccines for every Canadian, the most per
capita of any country in the world. They aren't going to stop pushing
the vaccines for a while....
Ashleigh Mcsanderson
Reply to @Dave Ladd:
$2.5 Billion was asked for in The House yesterday by the PM for tests.
David Amos
Reply to @Ashleigh Mcsanderson: said yesteday
"I hear online audio mentioning VPN and encryption.
Now why would Truckers in Ottawa being broadcasting such?"
Ashleigh Mcsanderson
Reply to @David Amos:
I still have not determined why some were speaking of such.
Michael Grey
Reply to @Dave Ladd:
Yeah my 3rd shot was my last shot. No more after this. They can give
those 8 other shots for me to poor countries that actually need them.
All
students must wear a mask both indoors and outdoors, except K-8
students if they are outdoors and within their class grouping. (Jane Robertson/CBC)
New
Brunswick recorded five more COVID-related deaths Monday, including a
person in their 20s, as all New Brunswick public school students
returned to in-person learning for the first time since before the
holiday break.
"School
is the best place for kids physically and mentally," Dr. Jennifer
Russell, chief medical officer of health, said during a recent COVID
briefing.
"There are risks in the return to school, but I'm confident those risks are manageable," she said.
Among some of the measures in place:
Classrooms bubbles for students in kindergarten to Grade 8
Universal indoor masking, except when eating or drinking, for staff, students at all grade levels
Outdoors, K-8 students not required to wear a mask if they're within their bubble
Limited use of wind instruments and singing
Vaccination requirements for those 12 or older for extracurricular activities, sports and clubs
KN95-grade masks or higher will be provided for teachers and staff
Well-fitting, three-layer masks are recommended for students
Families are responsible for notifying schools if their child tests positive
Most students have been learning online at home since Jan. 11, which was initially expected to continue until Jan. 21.
When
the province moved to Level 3, the most restrictive level, of the
winter plan, amid soaring COVID cases and hospitalizations, students'
return to schools was pushed back until Monday.
Although
Public Health used to notify schools of positive cases, conduct contact
tracing and notify close contacts, while schools or school districts
used to notify families of positive cases, each school district now has its own COVID dashboard, where they list schools that have at least one reported COVID case daily. It's up to families to check the lists.
Deaths, hospitalizations
The
five COVID-related deaths recorded Monday include a person in their 80s
in the Moncton region, Zone 1, a person in their 20s in the Saint John
region, Zone 2, a person in their 80s in the Fredericton region, Zone 3,
a person in their 70s in the Edmundston region, Zone 4, and a person in
their 70s in the Bathurst region, Zone 6, according to the COVID dashboard.
Department
of Health officials did not immediately respond to a request for more
information about the youngest person, including their exact age,
whether they had any underlying health conditions, their vaccination
status, or what type of COVID variant they had.
Last April,
a person in their their 20s from the Moncton region, Zone 1, died,
becoming the youngest person in the province to die from the disease
since the pandemic began.
Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical
officer of health, declined to say at the time whether the person had
any underlying medical conditions, citing privacy. But she did say she
believed the person had the variant first reported in the U.K. and that
the case was travel-related.
The latest deaths raise the pandemic death toll to 238.
The
number of COVID hospitalizations decreased by 12 Monday, but the number
of people in intensive care increased by three and the number of people
on ventilators by two. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
The
number of people hospitalized decreased by 12 to 152 — 68 of them for
COVID and the other 84 with COVID, meaning they were already admitted
for something else when they tested positive for the virus.
Last Thursday, Russell said officials expected hospitalizations to peak at about 150 in mid-February.
This
was part of explanation for the province's return to the less
restrictive Level 2 of the COVID-19 winter plan two days earlier than
expected. Previous projections showed hospitalizations were expected to reach nearly 220.
Department of Health officials could not immediately be reached Monday for comment.
Sixteen people are in intensive care, an increase of three. Seven of them are on ventilators, up two.
The
seven-day average of hospitalizations jumped to 147, from 144, while
the seven-day average of ICU admissions remained stable at 12, the
dashboard shows.
The dashboard does not indicate the ages of
those hospitalized. Public Health used to indicate in a news releases
how many of the cases were 19 or under and how many were 60 or over, but
it has stopped providing the releases, just as students
resume in-person learning.
There were 169 new cases of COVID-19 reported, based on PCR (polymerase chain reaction) labtests, putting the total active case count at 4,841.
An additional 517 people self-reported testing positive at home with rapid tests.
A total of 688,492 PCR tests have been conducted to date, including 631 on Sunday.
A
total of 44 per cent of eligible New Brunswick have received a COVID-19
vaccine booster dose, up from 43.3 per cent, 84.5 per cent have
received two doses of a vaccine, up from 84.4 per cent, and 92.1 per
cent have received one dose, unchanged.
New Brunswick has had 28,885 cases of COVID since the beginning of the pandemic with 23,804 recoveries so far.
No sign of new subvariant
There's no sign the new Omicron subvariant BA.2 is in the province, according to the Department of Health.
"To date, this strain has not yet been identified in New Brunswick," department spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane said Monday.
BA.2 is now spreading in more than 50 countries around the world, including Canada.
Last Friday,
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief medical health officer, said more than
100 cases of BA.2 have been detected in Canada since November, with
about 77 of those identifications coming from the National Microbiology
Laboratory, and the rest from provinces and territories.
Although
Tam said the country's overall Omicron wave appears to be peaking,
there's "always a possibility" this wave could wind up extended.
The
U.K. Health Security Agency said Friday BA.2 has a doubling time of
roughly four days and scientists believe it will become the country's
dominant strain within the next month.
Asked whether provincial
officials believe the subvariant is present even though it hasn't been
detected yet, Macfarlane replied: "Current laboratory surveillance does
not indicate that BA.2 is currently in New Brunswick."
116 Comments I refreshed the page and the tally dropped to 61
.....
Commenting is now closed for this story. at 118
David Amos
The obvious question is how many of the folks who died were vaxxed???
Lori Team
Reply to @David Amos: A-lot! But sshhhh......we cant say it
David Amos
Reply to @Lori Team: I like your style lady
Lori Team
Reply to @David Amos: đŸ˜‰
Doug Ermen
I'm gonna run out and get vaccinated right now! LOL
David Amos
Content deactivated
Reply to @Doug Ermen:
The oh so Right Honourable dude Trudeau and his buddy Higgy did. Both
caught the non-partisan bug. So why not the club?
Rich
Hatfield
Reply to @Doug Ermen: How can I get unvaccinated?
Doug Ermen
Reply to @Rich
Hatfield: eventually your body will process the toxins from the
injection but the key is not to put anymore of those unnecessary
chemicals in your body, especially since this v. is pretty much
equivalent to the common flu.
Ashleigh Mcsanderson
Content deactivated
I hear online audio mentioning VPN and encryption.
Now why would Truckers in Ottawa being broadcasting such?
David Amos
Content deactivated
Reply to @Ashleigh Mcsanderson: Welcome to the circus
Ashleigh Mcsanderson
Booster Hesitancy.
Anyone know what that is all about?
Rich Hatfield
Content deactivated
Reply to @Ashleigh Mcsanderson: Tao Te Ching says: Without Booster Acceptance there is no Booster Hesitancy.
Defund the CBC!
David Amos
Content deactivated
Reply to @Ashleigh
Mcsanderson: Methinks Higgy et al suffer from a strange case of it. Ask
Marti O'Connell and her hubby Jerry to explain Anyone can check out the
other article today N'esy Pas?
Neil Murphy
Content deactivated
Reply to @Ashleigh Mcsanderson: Fear it's all about keeping the fear
Marti
O'Connell is worried that her husband Jerry will catch COVID-19 at the
Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont Hospital in Moncton, where he's been since
mid-November, waiting for a nursing home bed. (Submitted by Marti O'Connell)
Marti O'Connell figures if there's one place someone could get a booster shot for COVID-19, it would be in a hospital.
But
O'Connell's husband has been at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University
Hospital Centre in Moncton since mid-November, and he has yet to get his
booster — despite repeated requests.
O'Connell said
she phoned the hospital at least four times and spoke to someone
different each time. She also called Public Health, has spoken to her
MLA, and sent an email to Health Minister Dorothy Shephard.
"I have called time after time to the hospital and apparently their hands are tied. They have no say on it," said O'Connell.
"It's just shocking to me."
After
hearing so much about outbreaks in hospitals and people catching
COVID-19 while in hospital, O'Connell is concerned about her 73-year-old
husband catching it.
Marti
and Jerry O'Connell on a trip to Cuba in 2018. Jerry had his second
booster shot in July but hasn't been able to get a booster since being
admitted to hospital. (Submitted by Marti O'Connell)
"He's
a vulnerable senior. I mean, all they do is go on and on and on and on
in the news about how vulnerable our seniors are. And to see this
happening … it's just outrageous."
Jerry O'Connell has
Alzheimer's disease. He started living at a nursing home last year but
was sent to hospital after a series of falls. He's been waiting ever
since for a spot at a nursing home that can handle his cognitive needs
and his limited mobility issues, his wife explained.
Since he
isn't able to advocate for himself, Marti O'Connell has been trying to
do it for him — and all the while, COVID cases in hospitals have soared.
That's why she's trying so hard to get him a booster.
"I mean, how hard is it for someone in a hospital to give a needle?"
There's a nurse for that
In
an email on Friday, Health Department spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane
said, "Although we cannot talk about specific cases, the regional health
authorities have been asked to ensure that all patients in hospital
that are awaiting a nursing home bed should be offered a booster-third
dose once 5 months has passed since their second dose was administered."
When asked if the shot would be given in the hospital, Macfarlane said it would.
When an extended care patient in hospital is due for their vaccine, he said, a [in hospital] is due for their vaccine, a "public health information solution" nurse is assigned to administer the vaccine, he said.
O'Connell said no one has ever mentioned such a nursing position and she intends to inquire about it on Monday.
Her husband had his second vaccine dose on July 7.
Amanda Ryan became a Realtor in the Moncton-area last year. (Jessica Gautreau/Submitted by Amanda Ryan) 
Dwayne
Hayes, director of education and IT systems with the New Brunswick Real
Estate Association, says they've noticed the increase in people
becoming Realtors. (CBC) 
