COVID-19 cases on the rise in N.B., public health yet to determine if province is seeing 'summer surge'

Over the last week, the number of positive PCR and rapid COVID-19 tests have almost doubled when compared to the week before in New Brunswick, and the province added four more deaths bringing the total to 429.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Jennifer Russell says the subvariant BA.5 is “increasing at a higher rate than BA.4” and makes up 33 per cent of random samples sequenced.

She says they’re watching the surge in other provinces – like Ontario and Quebec – but can’t confirm if New Brunswick is seeing the same trends yet.

“Right now, all I can tell you is that we’re seeing increases in numbers all across the board in terms of POCT tests, PCR tests, hospitalizations etc.,” she said. “We’re watching that closely.”

She said initially, the modeling in the spring suggested another wave in the fall – but with COVID-19, “there are no guarantees.”

In New Brunswick, fourth doses, or second boosters, are only available for those 50 and older so long as five months have passed since their last shot.

When that will change, Russell couldn’t say.

“We really base our decisions around what’s happening in New Brunswick right now. And our epidemiology team is really continuing to point us in the direction of those at highest risk, and so those are the people that we really need to make sure are eligible and get those boosters into them,” she said.

That includes those at most risk for hospitalization, including people aged 60 to 79, those living in long-term care, and individuals with a chronic medical condition.

Liberal leadership hopeful Donald Arseneault spoke out on social media, asking why – if there’s a supply – those boosters aren’t being made available for the wider public.

Arseneault, 47, booked an appointment at a pharmacy successfully, but was told by the pharmacy the day of that they couldn’t give it to him because of his age.

He has since come down with COVID-19 and says he knows several others who’ve also, recently, come down with the virus.

“One of my good friends in Saint John, I asked him why he didn’t go to the Memorial Cup last week and he said COVID is now rampant,” he said. “We had a Canada Day event in Dieppe last Wednesday and I know of five people that has COVID that potentially was related to that event – there was 150 people crammed in that room.”

Russell couldn’t say that the 12-day Memorial Cup event is the culprit, but confirmed the numbers in the Saint John region are the highest in the province.

“What I can say is when you look at the numbers from a zone perspective, from a region perspective, we definitely see the highest number right now in zone two and a sharp rise there,” she said. “Again, we know the risks increase when you’re indoors, without masks, etc. So the more time people spend outdoors, the lower the risk.”

Prince Edward Island is encouraging anyone over 12 to get their booster, no matter which one.

The island reported 1,070 new cases in the past week, with 10 people in hospital. Anyone 12 and over are eligible so long as six months have passed after their last shot, or three months after contracting the virus.