New Brunswick updates COVID-19 data, adds 86 deaths to total

More than 700 people in New Brunswick have died in relation to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to a review by Public Health.

Of the 714 deaths related to COVID-19, 86 are being reported for the first time on Friday.

Earlier this year, Public Health and the Vital Statistics branch of Service New Brunswick, established a procedure to ensure that deaths are attributed to COVID-19 if the virus was either the primary cause or directly contributed to the death.

As Public Health indicated in a prior report, COVID-19 deaths are subject to a lag in reporting, with an average of two months between the date of the death and Vital Statistics receiving the registration of death form. That means deaths reported in weekly updates often aren’t reflective of the actual number of COVID-related deaths during the reporting period.

“This is a strong indication that the new process functions as intended and is allowing us to capture records that would have been otherwise missed,” said Dr. Yves Léger, acting chief medical officer of health, in a Friday news release.

The province will also be introducing an updated COVIDWATCH report on Dec. 20 in an effort to present COVID-related deaths based on the date of death, rather than during a specific reporting period.

The report will also include the seven-day moving average of COVID-19 deaths, death rates by age group, death rates by vaccination status, and age-adjusted rates.

Public Health is also changing its COVID-19 vaccination categories to:

• Unvaccinated
• Completed primary series
• Completed primary series and one additional dose
• Completed primary series and two or more additional doses

The new template will capture COVID-19 data beginning on Aug. 28, the start of the current respiratory virus season. Public Health says it will reset after one full year.

Additionally, self-reported positive rapid test results will no longer be included in the report, due to inaccuracies in the self-reporting process. That data will continue to be published on the COVIDWATCH website each week.