Five more New Brunswickers have died of COVID-19, the number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 has doubled in the past week, and the number of active hospitalizations has also increased as Omicron’s BA.5 and BA.4 subvariants continue to accept detention, data released Tuesday showed.
Hospital-based outbreaks of COVID also continue to rise, as does the number of health care workers out of work due to the virus, the province’s COVIDWatch report shows.
The latest deaths include three people in their 70s and two in their 80s. Their deaths bring the pandemic’s death toll to 438.
Thirty people were newly admitted to hospital for the virus between July 10 and July 16, up from 15 the previous week.
The number of people currently hospitalized due to the virus has also increased in the past week to 22 from 17, including one who needs intensive care, according to the province.
Meanwhile, health networks Horizon and Vitalité reported 114 hospitalized COVID patients as of Saturday, four of whom required intensive care, up from 95 and seven, respectively, a week earlier.
A total of 1,004 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed by PCR tests between July 10 and July 16, down from 1,044 the previous week, according to Tuesday’s COVIDWatch report. (Government of New Brunswick)
This includes patients who were admitted for COVID, as well as those who were initially admitted for another reason and later tested positive for the virus.
“I think overall the picture we’re getting from this week’s report continues to suggest we’re in a period of increased activity across the province,” said Dr. Yves Leger, who has been acting chief medical officer for two weeks .
Last Tuesday, Chief Health Officer Dr. Jennifer Russell said there were indications that New Brunswick was at the beginning of a period of “increased activity” of COVID-19, driven by Omicron’s highly transmissible sub-variants BA.5 and BA.4, but she did not call it a new wave of the pandemic.
Masking calls
The fact that the increases are happening now, instead of in the fall as previously predicted, points to the fact that it’s hard to predict, Leger said.
“I think as a province it’s important for New Brunswickers to understand that this is what we’re going to have to contend with.” And it’s important that we pay attention to what’s going on so they can take the appropriate measures to protect themselves.”
This includes masking in indoor public places, he said.
“Absolutely. … Even though we’re not talking about mandates, that still doesn’t change the fact that these are still important measures that we know are working to protect New Brunswickers, especially during this time.”
Masks have not been mandatory in New Brunswick since the mandatory order was lifted on March 14, but Acting Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Yves Leger is urging people to wear masks in indoor public places given the increased COVID activity. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)
Among his latest actions as Horizon’s president and CEO, Dr. John Dornan encouraged employees in a memo last Thursday to “consider setting an example” by wearing masks in indoor public spaces, citing the “escalating” rate of COVID-19 transmission in community and healthcare settings. He was fired the next day in a major change in healthcare leadership,
Leger said he sees “very few” people wearing masks when he goes to the grocery store or the mall.
“I know we are all tired of COVID and want to get back to our normal way of living and socializing. But we must remember that COVID is not over with us.”
It also recommends that people limit social contact, socialize outdoors, physically distance themselves and stay home if they are sick.
“When the activity of COVID increases, it’s really the most important time to really try to follow these measures as much as we can.”
Fewer new cases, but an increase in active cases
The number of new reported cases of COVID-19 fell slightly in the past week to 2,324 from 2,465.
This includes 1,004 cases confirmed by a laboratory PCR test (down from 1,044), putting the province-wide incidence rate at about 126 cases per 100,000 people.
Just over 5,900 PCR tests were performed, making the positive 17 percent.
The remaining 1,320 new cases were reported by people who tested positive for a rapid test (down from 1,421).
There are now 1,506 active cases across the province, based on PCR cases alone, compared to 1,382 a week ago.
Omicron BA.5 and BA.4 together account for more than three-quarters of the most recent random samples sent for sequencing, accounting for 57 percent and 22 percent, respectively. The remaining 21 percent of the samples were Omicron BA.2.
The largest share of those hospitalized for COVID-19 is among persons aged 70-89, the report states.
“Vaccine-unprotected individuals continue to have the highest rates of COVID-19 hospitalization and death.”
Vaccination stopped
Last Tuesday, the province announced it was expanding eligibility for a fourth dose to all New Brunswickers 18 or older, provided it’s been at least five months since their last dose. The decision to reduce eligibility for a fourth dose from 50 was based on increasing risk, officials said.
But so far, only 23 percent of New Brunswickers age 50 or older have had their second booster, down from 21.7 percent a week ago, Legere said.
“For now, we don’t see many people on our dashboard [under 50] more,” he said. “So I’m not sure if the numbers are not caught there, if they’re pretty low that they’re not registering yet. But certainly, you know, I think the numbers are probably not too high at this point.”
Only 864 combined first, second and third doses were administered this week, too few to change the first dose rate of 93.3 percent. A total of 88.3 percent of eligible New Brunswick residents received their second vaccine, up from 88.2 percent, and 53 percent received three vaccines, up from 52.9 percent.
Dr Yves Léger, who has been acting chief health officer for two weeks, said people should not put off getting their next COVID-19 vaccine until the autumn because there are still “many unknowns” about what the coming months will bring. (Pascal Reiche-Nog/Radio-Canada)
Asked if some people might be delaying their next vaccine in anticipation of a larger surge in the fall because they fear weakening immunity if they get vaccinated too early, Leger said, “that’s certainly a problem for some people.”
But he reiterated that it is difficult to predict exactly when increases will occur and noted that new vaccines are being developed, including bivalent vaccines that are expected to target Omicron.
“So there are a lot of unknowns about what the fall and winter will bring. But we know for sure that right now we are in a period of increased activity. So, you know, the best vaccine is the one that’s available if I’m going to get a dose.”
Vaccines help protect people from infection, but “where they really shine,” he said, is in providing protection against severe outcomes, including hospitalization, intensive care unit admission or death.
New Brunswick has had 70,541 confirmed cases of COVID since the start of the pandemic, with 68,597 cases considered resolved so far.
Hospitalizations, outbreaks, sick workers
Horizon had 84 active COVID-19 admissions as of Saturday, up from 78, including two in intensive care, down from six, according to the COVID Dashboard.
The distribution of cases includes:
- Moncton Region, Zone 1 — .28
- St. John’s Region, Zone 2 — .36
- Fredericton Region Zone 3 – 10
- Miramichi Region, Zone 7-10
The dashboard does not provide details on which hospitals have patients.
Vitalité had 30 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of Saturday, up from 17, including two in intensive care, up from one, the COVID-19 dashboard showed.
Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Center in the Moncton area, zone 1, has six patients, including two in intensive care, Edmundston Regional Hospital in zone 4 has five patients, Campbellton Regional Hospital in zone 5 has seven patients, and in the Bathurst area, Zone 5, Chaleur Regional Hospital has one patient, while Tracadie Hospital has 11 patients, the dashboard shows.
There are now outbreaks of COVID-19 in 22 hospital wards across the province, down from 19.
Seventeen of them are in “Horizon” hospitals. The distribution includes:
- Moncton Region Zone 1 — Six
- St. John’s Region, Zone 2 — Seven
- Fredericton Region, Zone 3 — Two
- Miramichi Region, Zone 7 — .Two
There are no details on the dashboard about the location of the outbreaks.
Vitalité has five hearth compartments.
These include: a new outbreak in the General Surgery Unit 4A of the University Hospital Center Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont, as well as the Tracadie Hospital Medical Unit and the 2nd North Unit; Campbellton Regional Hospital Geriatric Unit and Restigouche Hospital Centre’s C-1 Long Term Rehabilitation Unit.
The number of healthcare workers who have left work after testing positive for COVID-19 or coming into contact with a positive case continues to rise and is now 229, compared to 204 a week ago.
88 of them work in Horizon, compared to 83 in the previous report. No breakdown provided.
The remaining 141 work for Vitalité, up from 121.
No Horizon hospitals are currently listed as overcapacity, according to data provided by spokesman Chris McDavid.
That includes Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton, where a patient died in the emergency room waiting room early last Tuesday morning while waiting for help. Bed occupancy is 98 percent, McDavid said in an email.
The Horizon review is underway after a patient — an elderly man in a wheelchair who was visibly in discomfort, according to a witness — died in the emergency room waiting room at Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital. The results will be made public, Prime Minister Blaine Higgs said. (Joe McDonald/CBC)
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