There are five new cases of COVID-19 in New Brunswick, Public Health reported Wednesday. 

Two cases are in the Fredericton region (Zone 3), one related to travel and the other a close contact of an already confirmed case. The two cases are:

• a person under 19 
• a person 60 to 69 

The other three other cases are in three different health zones and all are travel-related:

• a person 20 to 29 in the Campbellton region (Zone 5) 
• a person 50 to 59 in the Bathurst region (Zone 6) 
• a person 50 to 59 in the Miramichi region (Zone 7) 

There are now 46 active cases. The number of confirmed cases is 585 and 530 people have recovered.

Eight people have died from COVID-19, and another person who tested positive also died but not as a result of COVID-19. Two patients are in hospital, one of them in intensive care.

As of Wednesday, 148,195 tests have been conducted, including 933 since the last report. 

Province seeing 'more travel-related cases'

Dr. Jennifer Russell, the chief medical officer of health, warned Wednesday that Public Health is seeing an increasing number of travel-related cases.

"It remains very important to keep your number of close contacts low and follow strict self-isolation guidelines for out-of-province travellers, especially during this holiday period," Russell said in a news release.

"We still have a long way to go and limiting your contacts will reduce the spread of infections so we can avoid a surge of new cases in January."

Moncton vaccine clinics get underway

New Brunswick's COVID-19 vaccination program is now underway at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre for frontline health-care workers in the Moncton region, Zone 1.

The first two people to receive the vaccine Wednesday were Dr. Renelle Gautreau, a family physician at the Dumont, and Dr. Marie-Andrée Thériault, a family physician at the Moncton Hospital.

The clinics will be administering vaccines from Wednesday until end of day Sunday.

Potential public exposure warning

Public Health has identified a positive case in a traveller who may have been infectious on the following flight:

Air Canada Flight 8506: From Montreal to Fredericton, arriving at 9:16 p.m. on Dec. 16.

Anyone who travelled on this flight should self-monitor for symptoms. If any symptoms develop, they should self-isolate and take the self-assessment online or to call 811 to get tested.

What to do if you have a symptom

People concerned they might have COVID-19 symptoms can take a self-assessment test online. 

Public Health says symptoms shown by people with COVID-19 have included:

• A fever above 38 C.

• A new cough or worsening chronic cough.

• Sore throat.

• Runny nose.

• Headache.

• New onset of fatigue, muscle pain, diarrhea, loss of sense of taste or smell.

• Difficulty breathing.

In children, symptoms have also included purple markings on the fingers and toes.

People with one of those symptoms should:

• Stay at home.

• Call Tele-Care 811 or their doctor.

• Describe symptoms and travel history.

• Follow instructions.