6 more COVID-19 deaths in N.B., new cases and positivity rate drop

New Brunswick added six more COVID-19 deaths to its pandemic toll Tuesday, and reports weekly hospital admissions because of the virus remain stable, while new cases and the positivity rate have both decreased.

The latest update comes just days before Public Health eliminates the self-referral option for COVID-19 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing. Starting April 1, people with COVID symptoms "where the outcome of PCR testing will directly influence treatment or care" will still be able to get a PCR test, but will require a referral from a health-care provider.

None of the deaths occurred during the reporting week in question, March 19 to March 25, the COVIDWatch report shows.

Two died earlier in March, one in February, one in January, and two in November. Deaths are subject to an average two-month lag in reporting, from date of death to the registration of death, the report says.

Of those who died, one person was aged 50 to 69 and the other five were aged 70 or older.

Their deaths raise the province's pandemic death toll to 862.

Fifteen people were admitted to hospital because of COVID during the week in question, and none require intensive care, according to the province. That's down from 17 and two, respectively, in last week's report.

Four were aged 60 to 69 and the others were aged 70 or older, the report shows.

The province no longer provides the number of people currently hospitalized, but the two regional health authorities say they have 49 patients who were either admitted to hospital because of COVID-19, or were initially admitted for another reason and later tested positive for the virus, as of Saturday. That's down nearly 21 per cent from 62.

Three people require intensive care, down from seven, Horizon and Vitalité say.

Positivity drops to 16.6%

A total of 212 new cases of COVID have been confirmed through 1,278 PCR lab tests, for a positivity rate of 16.6 per cent.

That's a 32 per cent decrease from the 313 PCR-confirmed cases last week. At that time, the positivity rate was 21.7 per cent — the highest it has been since at least last April, when it was about 26 per cent.

A high test-positivity rate indicates a high level of community transmission. It's the percentage of the total PCR lab tests performed that produced a positive result.

An additional 141 people self-reported testing positive on a rapid test, up from 123 a week ago.

XBB now represents 72% of sequenced cases

Of the 153 random positive PCR samples sent for genetic sequencing, 72 per cent were XBB, an offshoot of the Omicron BA.2 subvariant, up from 55 per cent in last week's report.

COVIDWatch does not indicate how many of those were cases of XBB.1.5, which has been described as immune evasive and "the most transmissible" subvariant yet. But Department of Health spokesperson Sean Hatchard confirmed there were 106 cases.

That raises the total number of XBB.1.5 cases since the subvariant was first detected in the province in January to 546, he said.

Twenty-four per cent of the sequenced cases were the Omicron subvariant BA. 5, and the other four per cent were the Omicron subvariant BA.2.

Spring vaccine booster campaign pending

There is still no word on New Brunswick's plans for spring COVID-19 vaccine boosters, but the department spokesperson suggested an announcement is pending.

CBC asked whether people aged 65 and older who received their fall booster more than five months ago should get another dose now.

"A person aged 65 and older will soon be eligible for another dose as part of the province's spring booster campaign," Hatchard said in an emailed statement. He did not elaborate.

"Public Health continues to review recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, and it will communicate any further COVID-19 vaccine booster updates as it has in the past," he reiterated.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recently called for people at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 to get another booster, starting this spring — six months or more after their last COVID-19 vaccine dose or SARS-CoV-2 infection, whichever is longer.

That includes:

• Adults 80 and older.

• Adult residents of long-term care homes and other communal living settings for seniors or those with complex medical care needs.

• Adults 65 to 79, particularly if they don't have a known prior history of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Bivalent, Omicron-containing mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines are the "preferred" option for booster shots, NACI wrote.

NACI didn't recommend an additional spring booster for people in the general population who've already received all their previous recommended doses, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam wrote in a statement on social media on March 3.

There were 372 COVID-19 vaccine doses administered across the province in the past week, figures from the department show.

The updated vaccination rates include:

• First dose — 42 given, 91.1 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers, up 0.1 per cent.

• Second dose — 49 given, 85.9 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers, unchanged.

• First booster — 67 given, 54.8 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers, up 0.1 per cent.

• Second booster — 214 given, 30.4 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers, unchanged.

CBC requested an interview with Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province's chief medical officer of health, but the department spokesperson said she isn't available.

Horizon and Vitalité hospitalizations

Horizon Health Network has 40 active COVID-19 hospital patients as of Saturday, down from 50 a week ago, its COVID dashboard shows. Two people require intensive care, down from three.

The regional breakdown of the cases includes:

• Moncton region, Zone 1 — six.

• Saint John region, Zone 2 — 14.

• Fredericton region, Zone 3 — 15.

• Miramichi region, Zone 7 — five.

Vitalité Health Network has nine COVID-19 hospital patients, including one in intensive care, according to its COVID dashboard. That's down from 12 and four, respectively, in last week's report.

Four of the patients are at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton, Zone 1, including the one in ICU. The Edmundston Regional Hospital in Zone 4, has two patients, the Campbellton Regional Hospital, in Zone 5, has one patient, and the Chaleur Regional Hospital in the Bathurst region, Zone 6, has two.

Infected health-care workers drops nearly 58%

The number of health-care workers off the job after testing positive for COVID-19 has dropped nearly 58 per cent to 35, from 83 a week ago.

Horizon has 24 positive staff (down from 48), and Vitalité has 11 (down from 35).

There are COVID-19 outbreaks on two Horizon hospital units — one in the Moncton region and the other in the Saint John region. No other details are provided.

Vitalité has no hospital outbreak units, as of Monday.