New Brunswick reports three deaths related to COVID-19 Thursday, 124 in hospital

New Brunswick health officials reported three more deaths related to COVID-19 on Thursday.

Public health says the deaths involve:

• a person in their 50s in the Saint John region (Zone 2)
• a person in their 70s in the Moncton region (Zone 1)
• a person in their 80s in the Edmundston region (Zone 4)

According to the province’s online dashboard, there have been 199 deaths related to COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

There are also 124 people hospitalized in New Brunswick due to COVID-19 on Thursday, 12 of whom are in intensive care.

Of those currently in hospital:

• 102 are over the age of 60
• nine are on a ventilator
• three people are under the age of 19
• 71 were admitted for reasons other than COVID-19

Health officials say 58 per cent of the 12 patients in ICU are either unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or it has been six months since their second dose

As of Thursday, public health says there are 417 health-care workers who have tested positive for the virus and are isolating.

The seven-day rolling average of hospitalizations is available on the COVID-19 dashboard.

VACCINE UPDATE

As of Thursday, 1,575,232 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.

Of those, 686,325 were first doses, and 626,997 were second doses.

According to the province's online dashboard, 261,910 booster doses have been administered to date.

VACCINES FOR THOSE AGED 5-11

The province is urging parents to book their children’s appointment for their first or second dose if they have not yet done so.

“When children are protected against COVID-19 they are less likely to contract the virus and to spread the virus to others,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick’s chief medical officer of health, in a release. “By getting vaccinated kids will be better positioned to stay healthy when in-class learning resumes. It will make it safer for children to play together on our playgrounds, sports fields and hockey rinks. We need to help our kids get back to being kids.”

Those aged five to 11 will be eligible for a second dose once eight weeks has passed since their first dose.

Russell adds that COVID-19 vaccines are safe for children, noting that Health Canada’s drug review process is recognized around the world for its high standards.

“Young children receive a reduced vaccine dose compared to adults and the number of adverse events reported nationally is extremely low,” Russell said.

BOOSTER APPOINTMENTS

Since Monday, Jan. 10, more than 41,000 appointments have been booked for a COVID-19 booster dose.

“We are seeing more and more people getting their booster shots and I encourage everyone to book their appointment or attend a walk-in clinic as we know this is the best defense against the Omicron variant,” said Russell.

Public health says there are more than 30,000 appointments available between now and Jan. 31.

In addition, pharmacies have ordered almost 74,000 doses for their COVID-19 clinics since Jan. 10.

Booster shots in New Brunswick are now available to everyone aged 18 and older, as long as five months have passed since their second dose.

RAPID TEST AND PCR RESULTS

Health officials say the COVID-19 online dashboard has been updated to include both PCR and rapid-test results.

People with COVID-19 symptoms are required to register online for a PCR test or rapid test under the provincial government’s testing strategy. Those who receive a positive rapid-test result are reminded to submit their result online through the self-reporting web portal.