Health officials in New Brunswick have identified two new cases of COVID-19 in Campbellton region, increasing its total active case count to 15.
One of them is an individual in their 40s and the other is in their 60s. According to a statement, health officials said one is close contact of a previously identified case in the outbreak, and the other is linked to Manor de la Vallée, a long-term care facility in Atholville.
A Quebec resident, who’s an employee at the LTC in Atholville, has also recently tested for COVID-19. Her case is reflected in Quebec’s statistics.
New Brunswick previously had no active cases after all of its patients had recovered by May 16. But since May 21, they’ve discovered 15 new cases in the Campbellton region, and eight linked to a long-term care facility (five residents and three staff).
They’re all part of a cluster that officials believe was started by a family doctor, who exposed at least 150 people to the virus in the health-care and community setting.
Instead of following a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period following his trip to Quebec in May, the doctor returned to work and saw patients during a two-week stretch at Campbellton Regional Hospital in the Restigouche area.
On May 28, a health-care worker at Manor de la Vallée was diagnosed with COVID-19, prompting all staff and residents to get tested. She was in contact with the family doctor on May 20, said Dr. Guy Tremblay, the president of Groupe Lokia, which owns the special care home for seniors.
