Protect yourself and others from COVID-19

Living with COVID-19

New Brunswickers are advised to assess and manage their personal risk and to continue using public health precautions that can decrease their risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19. They are encouraged to continue to practice basic healthy behaviours,  such as washing their hands often, covering their coughs and sneezes, limiting contact with those at risk of more severe illness, and staying home if sick. 

Some people are more likely to have severe illness if they are infected with COVID-19. When assessing personal risk, people should consider their setting(s) in which they interact with others, as well as their own individual health and that of their family members who have risk factors.

Who is more likely to have severe COVID-19 illness?

• Persons not fully vaccinated yet
• Increasing age, especially over 50 years of age
• People of any age with chronic medical conditions, including:
  • dementia
  • diabetes
  • heart disease
  • hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • kidney disease
  • liver disease
  • lung disease
  • obesity (BMI of 40 or higher)
  • stroke
• People of any age who are immunocompromised, including those:
  • with an underlying medical condition (e.g., recent cancer treatment, solid organ or bone marrow transplant, immune system disorder, HIV / AIDS, no spleen, dialysis)
  • taking medications that lower the immune system (e.g., chemotherapy)
• Pregnant

If you are more likely to have a severe illness, and have developed COVID-19 symptoms within the last 5 days, you may be eligible for treatment and should consider getting a COVID-19 test. 

What settings or activities are higher risk for getting COVID-19?

• Indoor crowded activities and spaces
• Large number of participants from outside your usual social group
• Poorly ventilated spaces
  
• Regular interaction with COVID positive individuals, particularly in your household.

Practice everyday healthy habits

Public Health is encouraging the ongoing use of good public health practices. In any situation, especially with respiratory illnesses, people should take precautions to keep themselves and those around them healthy. 

Tips to reduce the chances of getting COVID-19:

• Get the COVID-19 vaccine and any boosters when you are eligible
• Socialize outdoors. Avoid or limit time spent in crowded indoor places.
• Open a window or door to improve the ventilation, if gathering indoors.
• Wear a multi-layer well-fitting mask, especially in indoor public spaces
• Put some space between yourself and others outside your household, when able.
• Keep gatherings and your number of close contacts as small as possible.
• Wash or sanitize hands frequently, especially before touching your face.
• Minimize close contact with anyone showing cold-like symptoms.
• Schedule or run errands on less busy days.

Be informed and take the steps you're comfortable with as we all learn to live with COVID.