New Brunswick Liberals call for increased respiratory illness reporting
With high levels of respiratory illness in New Brunswick, the province urgently needs ramped-up infection reporting and a public update on the state of the health system, the official Opposition's health critic says.
Liberal Rob McKee said in an interview Wednesday that he's disappointed by what he considers "radio silence" from the provincial government about current pressures on the health system caused by influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and COVID-19.
McKee said he's hearing about the surge of illness from his constituents and he's seeing it first-hand in his family and Moncton neighbourhood.
"This is affecting a lot of people, so many kids are sick. My own kids, kids on their hockey teams," he said.
"This is like something we've never seen before with the triple threat of viruses going around," he added.
The province releases weekly COVID-19 and flu updates, which are reported with a seven-day and 10-day lag, respectively. The most recent reports identified 606 COVID-19 cases between Nov. 27 and Dec. 3 and 513 reported cases of the flu between Nov. 20 and 26.
The province does not share data on respiratory syncytial virus because it's not a reportable disease under New Brunswick's Public Health Act. McKee tabled a motion in the legislature Wednesday that would amend the act to include RSV.
McKee said people in his community are concerned about the circulating illnesses and how the increase in patients is affecting hospitals and health clinics.
The Liberal member of the legislature said the province should hold a news conference to share details on the state of New Brunswick's health system and inform residents how best minimize the risk of getting sick.
Adam Bowie, a spokesperson for New Brunswick's Department of Health, said in an email that the province's acting chief medical officer of health, Dr. Yves Leger, would share information with the province "if there were new or important developments." He added that Leger held a media availability with reporters on Nov. 18.
McKee said he felt that briefing was insufficient.
"The government and Public Health need to show some leadership right now and speak directly to New Brunswickers through a public, livestreamed press conference followed by questions from the media," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 7, 2022.
By Lyndsay Armstrong in Halifax
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
NEW 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire': A crowd pleaser that turns it up to 11
Hot on the heels of last year's 'Godzilla Minus One' comes 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,' the first ever Academy Award winner in the giant reptile's decades-long film career.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.