New Brunswick has 25 new cases of COVID-19. One case is in Zone 1 (Moncton), and is a person aged 19 or under. That brings the active case count in Zone 1 to 62.

The rest of the cases, all 24 of them, are in Zone 4 (Edmundston). 19 of those 24 are in the Villa Des Jardins care home, ten residents and nine employees. 32 cases of COVID-19 have been identified at the Villa Des Jardins since an outbreak was declared on Jan. 25, just over a week ago.

Two people with COVID-19 are hospitalized, both of them in the ICU. The province currently has 267 active cases of COVID-19.

This graph depicts how quickly the UK variant can spread. Photo provided by GNB.

Along with the new cases, Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health, brings more somber news.

Three cases of the infamous UK variant of COVID-19 have been detected in New Brunswick in two different health zones.

Two of the cases are in Zone 2 (St. John), and the third is in Zone 7 (Miramichi).

Zone 7 only has two active cases of COVID-19, and has only had eight cases total throughout the course of the pandemic.

The three cases are all related to travel, two international and one domestic (within Canada).

Russell was unable to provide more specifics about the cases, but could confirm that they are self-isolating.

She also gave some theoretical statistics to demonstrate how quickly this new variant could potentially spread if not kept under control:

Daily commuters still have questions about mandatory weekly testing, especially those who are already tested as part of their job requirement. Over 100 Sackvillians work in the Amherst Hospital just across the border, and undergo regular testing.

Conversation about interprovincial testing coordination are still in progress, but Russell could not be more specific than that:

In the meantime, CHMA has produced several updates regarding the Nova Scotia border with the most up to date information available.

Any questions or concerns about the border can be directed to news@chmafm.com.