COVID-19: NB Reports Record 257 New Cases, 2 Deaths – New Brunswick | The Canadian News

New Brunswick has exceeded its daily COVID-19 case count for the second day in a row with 257 cases.

There were also two deaths. Public health confirmed that a 50-year-old person in Zone 2 (Saint John region) and an 80-year-old person in Zone 4 (Edmundston region) died as a result of COVID-19.

Of the new cases, the majority were in Zone 2 (Saint John region) in 139 cases. An additional breakdown is at the end of the article.

The province also reported 98 recoveries on Thursday.

To date, 102 cases have been confirmed to be the highly transmissible Omicron variant. The province noted that none of these cases have resulted in the hospitalization of people.

There are currently 39 people hospitalized, 16 of them in intensive care. Five of the patients at the hospital were initially admitted for other reasons and contracted COVID-19 from a hospital outbreak.

The province said contact trackers can no longer notify close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases due to the influx of cases.

Instead, they focus on notifications for high-risk environments. Public health will continue to conduct contact tracing for First Nations schools, day care centers and communities, as well as long-term care homes, correctional facilities, hospitals, shelters, group homes, and populations. transitory.

People who test positive are asked to contact their own close personal contacts. Those identified as a close contact should self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days, use rapid tests, and reserve a CRP test if symptoms occur.

The high number of cases also means an “improved follow-up protocol” for hospitals. The statement stated that staff who have been exposed to positive cases within hospitals will follow a “public health-directed policy for regular testing and symptom monitoring in the event they are required to maintain services at their facilities.”

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“It is important to understand that this enhanced surveillance protocol is similar to the policy used by the other Atlantic provinces,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer for health, in the statement.

“New Brunswick residents can rest assured that they will be protected by going to a hospital. Residents who do not need emergency services are asked to consider going to a walk-in clinic or calling 811. “

The province is scheduled to move to Tier 2 of its winter plan, which includes tighter restrictions, on December 27.

Vaccines

Currently 82.8% of eligible New Brunswick residents are fully vaccinated, 89.8% have received their first dose, and 16.8% have received a booster dose.

The province also said that more than 19,000 pediatric vaccination appointments for children ages five to 11, as well as 59,700 booster appointments, have been booked through the health authority’s regional clinics.

Additionally, since eligibility for the booster was expanded Wednesday to include household members of those who work in long-term care facilities, hospitals, schools, and child care centers, nearly 4,000 appointments have been booked for that group. .

Breakdown of new cases

• 39 in Zone 1 (Moncton region)
• 139 in Zone 2 (San Juan region)
• 49 in Zone 3 (Fredericton region)
• 17 in Zone 4 (Edmundston region)
• two in Zone 5 (Campbellton region)
• five in Zone 6 (Bathurst region)
• six in Zone 7 (Miramichi region)