Spike in COVID-19 cases is pushing New Brunswick's health-care system to the limit
New Brunswick's jump in COVID-19 cases has overloaded the health-care system this week.
The Horizon Health Network is now looking to hire more staff across the province to help with the growing demand for testing and vaccinations.
The health network has seen an increased demand in testing as COVID-19 cases have soared over the last month.
"Two weeks ago, if you wanted a test, you could walk in or call and get it at almost anytime you wanted," said Dr. Jeff Steeves with New Brunswick's Medical Society.
But now, assessment centres are seeing long line ups and delays in testing.
Steeves wants people to get the jab and practice caution during this time to prevent overloading the system even more.
"Remember, we were running short even before COVID, so we're trying to maintain that," Steeves said. "Therefore, we can't divert the staff like we did before, hence the call for new staff."
Horizon Health's vice-president said in a statement Friday that they are currently looking to recruit staff at vaccination clinics, assessment centres and school clinics in Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton.
"Given the recent rise in COVID activity in New Brunswick, and the increased demand for these services, we are hoping to replenish our pool of available clinicians and administrative support staff as we ramp up activity at these locations," said Jean Daigle.
Since the province announced proof of vaccination requirements this week, public health has reported a significant jump in vaccination appointments.
On Wednesday, 1,700 appointments were booked, while yesterday there were 1,929.
Health officials say prior to Wednesday's number, the recent average for vaccinations was 600 bookings per day. On Thursday, 600 additional vaccines had to be delivered to a clinic in Moncton.
"Things have picked up dramatically," said Fredericton pharmacist Alistair Bursary, who says they've been busy taking calls from people looking to get their first or second dose.
"So, whereas we were doing perhaps 10 patients a day on average now we are probably going to hit 40-50 just at our pharmacy alone," Bursary said.
While the demand for services continue to climb, those working on the frontlines hope to get the help they need sooner rather than later.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
For the first time in report's history, Canada's air quality worse than U.S.
Air quality in Canada is now worse than in the U.S., according to the 6th Annual World Air Quality Report. Of the 15 most polluted cities in the two countries, 14 were in Canada.
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
BREAKING Roy McMurtry, former Ontario attorney general, dies at 91
CTV News has confirmed that former Ontario attorney general Roy McMurtry has died.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
DEVELOPING Canada's annual inflation rate ticked down to 2.8 per cent in February, defying expectations
Statistics Canada says the annual inflation rate edged down to 2.8 per cent in February.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.