Three more COVID-19 cases in northern New Brunswick have been linked to a doctor at a hospital who contracted the coronavirus outside the province and didn’t self-isolate when he returned.
Three more COVID-19 cases in northern New Brunswick have been linked to a doctor at a hospital who contracted the coronavirus outside the province and didn’t self-isolate when he returned.
That brings the total cluster of cases in the Campbellton region to six, the chief medical officer of health announced Thursday.
A second health-care worker is among the new cases, said Dr. Jennifer Russell. The new cases include a person under 19, someone in their 40s and someone over 90.
Based on contact tracing, she expects to see more cases emerge in the days ahead, she said. The incubation period of the virus is about 14 days.
“The outbreak … is upsetting to everyone, including me,” she said, describing it as “completely preventable.”
Until last week, New Brunswick had no active cases of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus. All 120 people infected since the pandemic began in March had recovered.
Russell said health officials don’t yet know the extent of the outbreak because they’re still contact tracing, but she hopes they will be able to “turn the tide” with tighter restrictions and widespread testing.
On Wednesday, Premier Blaine Higgs announced a medical professional in their 50s, travelled to Quebec for personal reasons, “was not forthcoming about their reasons for travel upon returning to New Brunswick and they did not self-isolate as a result.”
This professional then saw patients for two weeks at the Campbellton Regional Hospital and possibly other locations, forcing Higgs to order that region back into a stricter phase of pandemic recovery, known as the orange phase.
Neither Higgs nor Russell would say whether the person was a doctor or in some other health profession, but CBC News has confirmed the individual is a male doctor.
WATCH | New N.B. COVID-19 cluster linked to doctor:
Just days after New Brunswick lifted more of its COVID-19 restrictions, many are furious about a new outbreak caused by a local doctor that is stripping those new freedoms from thousands of people. 1:51
Russell said Thursday the policy for any health-care workers who travel outside the province for any reason is to self-isolate for 14 days. “It is mandatory.”
Information about the case has been passed along to the RCMP to determine exactly what took place and whether charges are warranted, Higgs told reporters during a news conference in Fredericton.
“I know many people have questions about professional ramifications, but this must be left in the hands of the professionals,” he said.
Subject to disciplinary action
Gilles Lanteigne, the president and CEO of the Vitalité Health Network, told CBC News he could not talk about an individual case, but he did explain in general terms what happens in such cases.
“In this situation, or in a situation like this, anyone who has not fulfilled his responsibility, according to the working agreement that we have with him or her, would be subject to disciplinary action.”
Dr. Ed Schollenberg, registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick, the licensing body for doctors in the province, declined to comment.
Medical society ‘deeply concerned’
The New Brunswick Medical Society is “deeply concerned” about the situation, said president Dr. Chris Goodyear.
“Physicians across New Brunswick have been working diligently for months battling the COVID-19 pandemic to protect New Brunswickers,” he said in an emailed statement.
“All health-care professionals have a responsibility to abide by Public Health guidelines and the provincial state of emergency. No one is or should be exempt from the rules and recommendations put in place to protect our province.”
On Wednesday, the premier had expressed frustration, saying the region is now at a higher risk “due to the actions of one irresponsible individual.”
2nd part of yellow phase delayed
The province moved into the yellow phase last Friday, which allows people to extend their two-household bubble to close family and friends, more businesses to reopen, and more recreation.
The rest of the province will remain in the yellow phase, but additional restrictions scheduled to be lifted Friday have been delayed until June 5, said Higgs.
They include:
- Outdoor public gatherings of up to 50 people practising physical distancing.
- Religious services, including weddings and funerals, of up to 50 people, indoors or outdoors, with physical distancing.
- Regional health authorities increase the number of elective surgeries and non-emergency services.
- Swimming pools, saunas, water parks can reopen.
- Gyms, yoga and dance studios, rinks, pool halls and bowling alleys can reopen.
- “Low-contact” team sports are permitted.
“This will allow us time to see how widespread the outbreak is,” said Higgs. If further restrictions are required to prevent the spread of the