People no longer need to have COVID symptoms to qualify for a rapid test kit, and the kits will be available for pickup in more locations, particularly in rural areas, including libraries or municipal offices. The tests should only be used when people are symptomatic, “as that is when they are most effective and useful,” said Dr. Yves Léger, deputy chief medical director of health. And people still need to schedule an appointment to pick up a test kit, either online or by calling 1-833-437-1424. “Appointments are still in place to make sure … our distribution points are open and have supply ready to supply people,” Léger said. Asked why New Brunswick can’t follow the example of other jurisdictions that don’t require an appointment, he said the province is always looking for ways to improve access. “If that’s one of the ways that, you know, we can look forward, that’s certainly something we’ll look at.” The province also needs to be a “good steward” of public supply, Léger added. “So we’ve got to make sure that we’re using it in the most appropriate way possible and make sure that, you know, we maintain that supply.” Dr. Yves Léger, the province’s deputy chief medical officer of health, said people who have been in contact with a positive case of COVID-19 but have no symptoms should not take a rapid test unless and until they develop symptoms. (Pascal Raiche-Nogue/Radio-Canada) While Léger could not immediately say how many rapid test kits the province has in stock or when a new shipment is expected, she has an “ample supply” for the fall and winter months, when COVID activity is expected to increase. Public Health is encouraging people to keep only a small number of kits on hand to ensure the supply remains “healthy”, he said. The expected increase in COVID activity is “important … to keep in mind,” but the impetus for the decision to increase access is Public Health’s ongoing review of “how to make things better,” Léger said. He could not say when the kits would expire. People who have symptoms should arrange for someone else to pick up a test kit if possible, Léger said. “We know that COVID-19 is still circulating in New Brunswick and that New Brunswickers want to do everything they can to minimize the spread of the virus in their communities.” Rapid test kits are now available at 82 locations “scattered across the province,” said health department spokesman Adam Bowie. He couldn’t say how many of them are new. “It’s been a gradual increase, with new locations coming online gradually. We didn’t just open a whole bunch of new locations today,” he said in an email. When people make an appointment to pick up a kit, they’ll be given a list of the locations closest to them, officials said.
The province reports 21 hospitalizations, while the RHA says 96
The rapid test kit announcement comes as the virus claimed the lives of four more people, all 90 and older, the province’s COVIDWatch report for Sept. 11 to Sept. 17 shows. Their deaths bring New Brunswick’s pandemic death toll to 480. Hospitalizations fell to 21 from 35, including two people requiring intensive care, from four, according to Public Health. The province’s two regional health authorities, meanwhile, say there are 96 New Brunswickers hospitalized for either COVID-19 as of Saturday, up from 81 a week ago. Unlike Public Health, which only reports people hospitalized for COVID-19, Horizon and Vitalité also include in their weekly reports those who were initially admitted for another reason and later tested positive for the virus. Eight people are in intensive care, out of 12, according to the Horizon and Vitalité COVID-19 dashboards. Public Health says there are currently 21 people hospitalized with COVID-19, while regional health authorities say there are 96 people hospitalized either because of or with the virus. (Leah Hennel/Alberta Health Services) The number of people newly hospitalized for COVID-19 also fell this week to 21, compared to 23 last week, according to the province. Among the new entrants are one person in their 50s, two in their 60s, 10 in their 70s, six in their 80s and two in their 90s and older. The highest rate of hospitalizations for COVID-19 is among people ages 70 to 89, the COVIDWatch report says. Vaccine-unprotected people continue to have the highest rate of hospitalizations for COVID-19 and ICU admissions, he says. A total of 1,451 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered across the province last week, according to the Ministry of Health. This includes 192 first doses, 115 second doses, 438 third doses, also known as first boosters, and 706 fourth doses or second boosters. As of Wednesday, 90.5 percent of eligible New Brunswickers have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, 85.4 percent have received the second dose, 53.6 percent have received the first reminder and 20.9 percent have received a second reminder — all unchanged from a week ago. The Department of Health did not immediately respond to a request for a breakdown of vaccination rates by age. Léger would like to see rates rise. “We know that vaccines work well to protect against infections, but they are much more effective at protecting against serious outcomes – so hospitalizations and deaths. And booster doses help maintain that protection,” he said. “So, you know, we certainly take every opportunity to encourage people to make sure they’re informed and especially, again, as we get closer to the fall and we expect to see an increase in COVID activity in the coming months, it’s much more important for people to make sure they are informed.”
PCR cases “stable”
The number of new COVID-19 cases reported across the province jumped to 1,091, up from 955, including those confirmed by a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) laboratory test and people who reported positive in a rapid test. This comes after students returned to school for about two weeks without mandatory protective measures for COVID-19. There are 843 active cases of COVID across the province, based only on PCR-confirmed cases. Léger called this week’s report “positive” overall, with a decrease in some numbers and stabilization in others. The seven-day moving average of PCR-confirmed cases of COVID-19 by zone, from December 5, 2021, to September 17, 2022. Royal blue depicts Zone 1, orange, Zone 2, gray, Zone 3, yellow, Zone 4, light blue, Zone 5, green, Zone 6 and dark blue, Zone 7. (Government of New Brunswick) The number of new PCR-confirmed COVID-19 cases remained “stable” this week at 586, up from 575 in the previous report, Public Health said. Moncton, Zone 1, has the largest share of new cases, with 212, followed by 133 in Zone 3, Fredericton, 85 in Zone 2, Saint John, 54 in Zone 7, Miramichi, 48 in Zone 6, in the Bathurst area, 42 in Zone 4, in the Edmundston area, and 12 in Zone 5, in the Campbellton area. Another 505 cases were self-reported through positive rapid test results, out of 380. The Moncton area, Zone 1, also has the largest share of them, with 170. The breakdown of other positive results includes:
Saint John Area, Zone 2, 116 Fredericton area, Zone 3, 148 Edmundston area, Zone 4, 23 Campbellton area, Zone 5, eight Bathurst District, Zone 6, 22 Miramichi Area, Zone 7, 18
Of the most recent random samples sent for sequencing, 93 percent were the highly transmissible Omicron BA.5 subvariant, six percent were the Omicron BA.4 subvariant, and the other one percent were the Omicron BA. 2. New Brunswick has had 76,902 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, with 75,579 of those now considered resolved.
Hospital outbreaks, sick staff
Horizon Health Network reports 71 active COVID-19 hospital admissions, including five people in intensive care. This compares with 57 and six respectively the previous week. Vitalité Health Network reports 25 patients hospitalized, up from 24, with three in intensive care, down from six the previous week. There are cases of COVID-19 at 10 Horizon Hospital units, including five in Moncton, Zone 1, three in Saint John, Zone 2, one in Fredericton, Zone 3 and one in Miramichi, Zone 7. No other details were provided. Vitalité has cases in Dr. University Hospital. Georges-L.-Dumont in Moncton in the geriatric unit (3A), the rehabilitation unit (3F) and the nephrology unit (4F). and at the Stella-Maris-de-Kent Hospital in Sainte-Anne-de-Kent in the care unit. The number of healthcare workers out of work due to COVID-19 has dropped to 98, down from 147. Horizon has 46 employees out because they tested positive for the virus, out of 76, while Vitalité has 52 infected employees, out of 71.
