N.B. COVID-19 roundup: With 2 latest deaths, provincial total reaches 300

Two people died of COVID-19 and hospitalizations related to the disease held steady in New Brunswick over the Family Day long weekend.

An update to the government of New Brunswick's COVID-19 dashboard shows a total of 300 people have now died from the disease in the province since the start of the pandemic.

The number of people in hospital both for and with COVID-19 hasn't changed, at 78. Of those, 32 are in hospital with COVID-19 while 46 are in hospital for COVID-19, according to the dashboard.

The number of people in intensive care has stayed the same, at eight, while three people are on ventilators, which is five fewer than what was reported Friday.

The province hadn't released any COVID-19 statistics since Friday, following an announcementlast week that updates won't be provided on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

The figures are also the first to be released since Premier Blaine Higgs moved New Brunswick to Level 1 of its COVID-19 winter plan at just before midnight Friday night,bringing looser restrictions for gathering sizesand business occupancy limits.

A breakdown ofnumbers

The two people who died most recently were a person in their 70s in Zone 3, the Fredericton region, and a person in their 80s inZone 2, the Saint John region.

Those in ICUwith COVIDinclude a person in their 40s, two people in their 60s, four people in their 70s, and a person in their 80s.

The dashboard also shows a breakdown of the people in hospital by age group, but does not distinguish how many are in hospital with COVID versus those who are there because of COVID.

They include five people in their 20s, fourin their 30s, three in their 40s, six in their 50s, nine in their 60s, 21in their 70s, 16in their 80s and six who are 90 or older.

Since Friday, 1,148 people have tested positive through PCR testing, while 2,572 have tested positive using at-home rapid tests.

The province, on its dashboard, notes that rapid test results are self-reported and "may not be accurate."

"Counts provided are based on information received by the Department of Health and are not intended to be taken as a true representation of the total number of cases in the province."

Because of the large number of new cases brought on by the Omicron wave, the Department of Health started reserving lab-based PCR tests for elderly and at-risk populations, with everyone else to rely on at-home rapid tests.

Those who test positive on a rapid testare required to treat the result as a confirmed positive, and isolate for at least five days.

Counting just PCR-confirmed tests, the province's active case count stands at 3,313.

A breakdown of thecases by health zone:

Moncton region, Zone 1

442 new cases out of 1,222 active

Saint John region, Zone 2

203 new cases out of 617 active

Fredericton region, Zone 3

269 new cases out of 651 active

Edmundston region, Zone 4

67 new cases 303 active

Campbellton region, Zone 5

34 new cases out of93 active

Bathurst region, Zone 6

68 new cases out of 255

Miramichi region, Zone 7

65 new cases out of 172 active

Impacts on health-care, school systems

In the health-care sector, a total of 364 staff are off work because of COVID-19, according to the dashboard.

They includes, 133 with VitalitHealth Network, 176 with Horizon Health Network, and 55 with both Ambulance New Brunswick and New Brunswick Extra-Mural Program.

Overall occupancy for networks standsat 88 per cent, while ICU occupancy is at 71 per cent.

The Department of Educationsays 659 school students reported catchingCOVID-19across 128 schools in the province since last Friday.

The breakdown for the new cases in schools by zone include 106 in Zone 1, 235 in Zone 2, 218 in Zone 3, 31 in Zone 4, five in Zone 5, 48 in Zone 6, and 16 in Zone 7.

Since the beginning of the school year in September,7,941 cases have been recorded among school students, and a total of 290 schools have been impacted by cases, the department says on its website.