Health officials in New Brunswick reported 486 new cases of COVID-19 and one new death on Wednesday. It’s the highest single-day case count the province has seen.
Of the new cases, 168 were reported in Zone 1 (Moncton region), 216 in Zone 2 (Saint John region) and 46 in Zone 3 (Fredericton region).
There were also 10 cases in Zone 4 (Edmundston region), eight cases in Zone 5 (Campbellton region), nine in Zone 6 (Bathurst region) and 29 in Zone 7 (Miramichi region).
Officials confirmed a person over the age of 90 from the Edmundston region has died.
According to the province’s COVID-19 dashboard, 82.8 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers are fully vaccinated against the virus, 90 per cent have at least one dose and 18.7 per cent have received their boosters.
New Brunswick now has 2,381 active cases of COVID-19 after reporting 121 recoveries on Wednesday.
There are 1,014 active cases of COVID-19 in the Saint John health zone and 694 active cases in the Moncton zone.
Public Health says new cases, hospitalizations and ICU admissions continue to mostly impact the unvaccinated population.
There are 43 people hospitalized across the province, including 17 patients in intensive care. Twenty-eight people over the age of 60 are receiving care and 10 patients are on a ventilator.
No one under the age of 19 is in hospital.
The rate of new cases is 59.5 per 100,000 for the fully vaccinated, 59.3 per 100,000 for the partially vaccinated, and 79.4 per 100,000 for the unvaccinated.
Of those currently in hospital, the rate is 2.9 per 100,000 for the fully vaccinated, 0 per 100,000 for the partially vaccinated, and 23.6 per 100,000 for the unvaccinated.
Among those in the ICU, the rates are 0.6 per 100,000 for the fully vaccinated, 0 per 100,000 for the partially vaccinated, and 12.3 per 100,000 for the unvaccinated.
Omicron variant influx
Health Minister Dorothy Shephard says the province’s health system is preparing for an influx of the Omicron variant. Projections say Omicron will cause a rapid climb in the case count as it has in other provinces.
“The regional health authorities and Extra-Mural/Ambulance New Brunswick are examining what services can be further reduced to ensure essential services and emergency surgeries can continue to be provided to all New Brunswickers as we deal with the impact of the Omicron variant,” said Shephard in a release.
As we approach New Year’s Eve, health officials urge New Brunswickers to limit their contact with others and continue periodic testing with rapid tests.
“Under Level 2 of the winter plan, we all need to limit our household contacts to a maximum of a steady 10,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick’s chief medical officer of health, in a news release.
“Whenever possible, we should try to keep our contacts even lower. The fewer people we spend time with, the less the virus is able to spread.”
Assessment centre backlog
Public Health says assessment centres continue to see increased demand for PCR testing. There’s a backlog of nearly 2,500 requests in Zone 2 and the Canadian Red Cross is on site to assist. In Zone 3, there’s a backlog of about 450 requests and 150 backlogs in Zone 1.
If you test positive for COVID-19 using a rapid test, Public Health asks that you must immediately self-isolate and book your PCR test. Residents are encouraged to rapid test daily while you await your PCR test and results.
As well, you should notify close contacts that you have tested positive on a rapid test and advise them to self-monitor for symptoms. Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms should schedule a PCR test via an assessment centre.
More details can be found here.
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