N.B. reports 174 new COVID-19 cases in record day for pandemic

Halifax -

New Brunswick reported two more deaths, and a record 174 new cases of COVID-19 and 61 recoveries on Thursday, bringing the total number of active cases in the province to 892.

This is the highest number of COVID-19 cases reported in one single day by the province throughout the course of the pandemic. The previous high reported by the province was 140 new cases on Oct. 2.

Public Health says a person 50-59 in the Campbellton region and a person 50-59 in the Miramichi region have died as a result of the virus.

The province says 40 people are hospitalized with the virus, of those, 16 people are in intensive care, 24 are over the age of 60 and eight people are on a ventilator. There is one person under the age of 19 in hospital with the virus.

REGIONAL CASE BREAKDOWN

New Brunswick says 25 of the new cases are in the Moncton region, 32 in the Saint John region, 94 new cases in the Fredericton region, four new cases in the Edmunston region, five new cases in the Campbellton region, four new cases in the Bathurst region and 10 new cases in the Miramichi region.

Public Health says 82.2 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 87.9 per cent have received their first dose.

The province is encouraging parents and guardians to take advantage of the rapid-testing program for children. Parents or guardians of unvaccinated children identified as close contacts of a confirmed case can pick up rapid-test kits at their child’s school.

OUTBREAK ON COVID-19 UNIT AT THE MONCTON HOSPITAL

An outbreak of COVID-19 has been declared on the COVID-19 unit at Horizon’s Moncton Hospital after three staff members on the unit tested positive for the virus.

The health network says an investigation has shown the transmission of the virus occurred in the hospital setting.

Staff in the COVID-19 unit are being regularly tested, and so far, Horizon says no further cases have been identified. 

All inpatients on the COVID-19 unit already have the virus and are doing well.

Horizon says this is the fifth inpatient unit at the hospital to experience a COVID-19 outbreak. The other affected units are stroke and family medicine, which includes rehabilitation, family practice and geriatric, and family medicine and palliative care.

As of Thursday morning, the health network says 32 patients and 11 staff have tested positive for the virus in relation to outbreaks on the five units. The outbreak started Nov. 22.

Horizon says it continues to test patients on other units of the hospital to ensure there are no other asymptomatic cases.

Officials with the health network say they understand it is difficult for families and friends to be separated from loved ones during this time, but they are working diligently to control and contain the outbreaks.

NO NEW RESTRICTIONS FOR FREDERICTON REGION YET

Premier Blaine Higgs says his government asked public health this week if an assessment should be done on the Fredericton region, to see if it should move to the more restrictive ‘level two’ under the province’s new winter plan.

That would mean private gatherings would be limited to two households. Gyms, salons, churches and businesses would be limited to 50 per cent capacity.

But Higgs says he was told by public health officials that move isn’t warranted yet.

“They said, ‘Well, we know where the cases are. We know it’s primarily in the school population and it isn’t at this point affecting hospitals,’” he said. “All that could change over time but right now, they said they aren’t going to trigger a zone assessment. I guess we’ll see in the next few days, if they continue to rise that could change.”

He said about 50 per cent or more of the cases are being traced to schools.

A consistent lineup of vehicles could be seen outside a COVID-19 assessment centre in Fredericton, where people access drive-through testing.

The opposition liberals have requested an internal, independent review of how N.B. has reacted and managed throughout the pandemic – and if there’s anything that should have been done differently.

Higgs said it’s not the right time for that.

“You may do reviews later, you say – what would you do differently? How would you react differently? But in the middle of the pandemic, you don’t basically do a review or a study that takes away from the resources that you need to deal with the issues at hand.”

POTENTIAL PUBLIC EXPOSURES

A full list of potential COVID-19 exposure notifications in New Brunswick can be found on the province's website.

Anyone with symptoms of the virus, as well as anyone who has been at the site of a possible public exposure, is urged to request a test online or call Tele-Care at 811 to get an appointment.