New Brunswick COVID-19 deaths, hospitalizations, new cases stable, figures show

The number of COVID-19 deaths, hospitalizations and new confirmed casesremained relatively stable in New Brunswick overthe past week, about one month after school resumed without any COVID restrictions, figures released Tuesday show.

But the province's acting chief medical officer of health cautions against reading too much into that.

While it's "good" the numbers haven't increased, a fall surge is still anticipated in the coming weeks or months, saidDr. Yves Lger.

"It's important for New Brunswickers to continue to pay attention every week to COVID updated numbers and report so that they're aware of what's happeningin their communities around COVID," he said.

"Even though the numbers have been trending in a positive direction for the last couple of weeks, we're still seeing people who have COVID, we're still seeing people who are hospitalized and we're still seeing deaths occurring every week, so westill need to understand that COVID is still in our communities and we still need to take that seriously," he added.

Asked whether Public Health worries fewer people may be getting testing or reporting their positive test results, Lger acknowledgedthe reported numbers are always an "underestimateof the true activity in the community."

"We do continue to encourage people to [get tested and report]because it's really helpful for us to continue to track how COVID is behaving," he said.

Five more people died from COVID-19 betweenSept. 25 to Oct. 1, the same number as the previous week. The latest deaths includeone in their 70s, two in their 80s, and two 90 or older, according to the province's COVIDWatch report.

The pandemic death toll now stands at 490.

Nineteen people were newly admitted to hospital for COVID-19, compared to 18 a week ago.

The number of people currently hospitalized because of the virus remains unchanged, at 19, the province reports. One person requiresintensive care, down from two.

Meanwhile, the two regional health authorities, which include in their weekly reports people admitted to hospital because of COVID-19 as well as those initially admitted for another reason and later test positive for the virus, say there are91 COVID-19 patients hospitalized, including six in intensive care, as of Saturday.

That's down from 95 and seven respectively.

Among the new admissions reported by the province is a child under 10.The others include a person in their 30s, fivein their 60s, sixin their 70s, four in their 80s and two 90 or older.

A total of1,053 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported, up from 930 in the previous report.

That includes596 confirmed through a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) lab test, up from 558, and457 people who self-reported testing positive on a rapid test, up from 372.

The Moncton region, Zone 1, continues to have the largest share of the new PCR-confirmed cases, at 195, followed closely by Zone, 3, the Fredericton region, at 166, and Zone 2, the Saint John region, at 113.

Zone 6, theBathurst region, had 40 of the cases, Zone 4, theEdmundston region, had 37, Zone 7, the Miramichi region, 32; and Zone 5, the Campbellton region,13.

The distribution of the self-reported positive rapid testcases is:

• Moncton region, 159.
• Saint John region,92.
• Fredericton region, 141.
• Edmundston region, 17.
• Campbellton region, 7.
• Bathurst region, 32.
• Miramichi region, 9.

There are now826 active cases of COVID across the province, based on PCR cases alone, up from 769.

Of the most recent random samples sent for sequencing, 94 per cent were the highly transmissible Omicron subvariant BA.5, and six per cent were the Omicron subvariant BA.4.

New Brunswick has had 78,056 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, with 76,740 of those now considered resolved.

Bivalent boosters popular

Some 90.5 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine,85.4 per cent have received two dosesand53.7 per centhave received their first booster all unchanged from last week.

The second booster rate increased to 22.1 per centfrom21.6per cent, said Lger.

A total of 1,257 fifth doses were administered this past week, raising the third-booster rate to 0.9 per cent, said Department of Health spokesperson Adam Bowie.

"As we've mentioned before, Public Health is shifting its focus away from counting how many booster shots a person has received. Instead, it's focusing on encouraging every eligible New Brunswicker to schedule a COVID-19 vaccination so long as it's been at least five months from your previous protective shot, or an infection," he said in an emailed statement.

"Similar approaches are being adopted by some other provinces and territories across the country."

The number of bivalent vaccinesadministered as either second or third boosters has jumped by more than 4,000 in the past week to just over 6,200, according toLger.

Moderna'sSpikevaxvaccinetargets both the original coronavirus and the Omicron variant BA.1 that emerged late last year and drove thelargest wave of infection and hospitalizationin the pandemic.

Only New Brunswickers50 and older, those aged12 to 17 who are immunocompromised or have a high-risk medical condition, and those aged 18 and older who live in a First Nations community are currently eligible for thebivalent vaccine,as long as five months have passed since their last vaccine dose or a COVID-19 infection.

RHA hospitalizations

Horizon Health Network has62 active COVID-19 hospitalizations, up from 58, including five people in intensive care, an increase of one.

Vitalit Health Network has 29COVID-19 patients hospitalized, downfrom37, oneof whom requiresintensive care, downfrom three.

Of the 62 hospitalized Horizon patients, half are in the Saint John region, Zone 2,the weekly COVID-19 dashboard shows.

The distribution of the other patients includes:

• Zone 1, Moncton region 6
• Zone 3, Fredericton region 17
• Zone 7, Miramichi region 8

Twenty ofVitalit's29 patients, including the one in intensive care,are at theDr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton, which is listed at 106 per cent capacity.

TheEdmundston Regional Hospitalhas four of the patients and is at90 per cent capacity, Bathurst's Chaleur Regional Hospital has three patients and is at 99 per cent capacity, and the other two patients are at the Campbellton Regional Hospital, which is at 80 per cent capacity.

More infected health-care workers

Horizon has 11 COVID-19 hospital outbreak units, including two in the Moncton region, threein the Saint John region, Zone 2, fourin the Fredericton region, and twoin the Miramichi region. No other details are provided.

Vitalit has sevenCOVID-19 outbreak units, six of which are at theDr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton, including a new one on thesurgical unit (orthopedic, plastic, and otorhinolaryngology), 4E.

The other units includethegeriatric unit (3A), the rehabilitation unit (3F), the general surgical unit (4A), the psychiatry unit (4B),and the nephrologyunit (4F). The outbreak on the care unit at the Stella-Maris-de-Kent Hospital inSainte-Anne-de-Kent also continues.

The number of health-care workers off the job because of COVID-19 continues to climb. Horizon has 77 COVID-positive health-care workers, up from 64, whileVitalithas 28staff absences, upfrom26.