N.B. COVID-19 roundup: Person in their 20s one of 5 new deaths, students back in classroom
Hospitalizations decrease to 152 from 164
The return to classes coincides with the province's return Friday at 11:59 p.m. to the less restrictive Level 2 of the COVID-19 winter plan.
"School is the best place for kids physically and mentally," Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health, said during a recent COVID briefing.
"There are risks in the return to school, but I'm confident those risks are manageable," she said.
Among some of the measures in place:
- Classrooms bubbles for students in kindergarten to Grade 8
- Universal indoor masking, except when eating or drinking, for staff, students at all grade levels
- Outdoors, K-8 students not required to wear a mask if they're within their bubble
- Limited use of wind instruments and singing
- Vaccination requirements for those 12 or older for extracurricular activities, sports and clubs
- KN95-grade masks or higher will be provided for teachers and staff
- Well-fitting, three-layer masks are recommended for students
- Families are responsible for notifying schools if their child tests positive
Most students have been learning online at home since Jan. 11, which was initially expected to continue until Jan. 21.
When the province moved to Level 3, the most restrictive level, of the winter plan, amid soaring COVID cases and hospitalizations, students' return to schools was pushed back until Monday.
Some students with special needs attended school in-person in recent weeks, however, due to their need for extra supports.
As of Dec. 22, the latest provincial figures available from the Department of Education, 897 cases of COVID had been confirmed in 193 schools since Sept. 7.
Although Public Health used to notify schools of positive cases, conduct contact tracing and notify close contacts, while schools or school districts used to notify families of positive cases, each school district now has its own COVID dashboard, where they list schools that have at least one reported COVID case daily. It's up to families to check the lists.
Deaths, hospitalizations
The five COVID-related deaths recorded Monday include a person in their 80s in the Moncton region, Zone 1, a person in their 20s in the Saint John region, Zone 2, a person in their 80s in the Fredericton region, Zone 3, a person in their 70s in the Edmundston region, Zone 4, and a person in their 70s in the Bathurst region, Zone 6, according to the COVID dashboard.
Department of Health officials did not immediately respond to a request for more information about the youngest person, including their exact age, whether they had any underlying health conditions, their vaccination status, or what type of COVID variant they had.
Last April, a person in their their 20s from the Moncton region, Zone 1, died, becoming the youngest person in the province to die from the disease since the pandemic began.
Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health, declined to say at the time whether the person had any underlying medical conditions, citing privacy. But she did say she believed the person had the variant first reported in the U.K. and that the case was travel-related.
The latest deaths raise the pandemic death toll to 238.
The number of COVID hospitalizations decreased by 12 Monday, but the number of people in intensive care increased by three and the number of people on ventilators by two. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
The number of people hospitalized decreased by 12 to 152 — 68 of them for COVID and the other 84 with COVID, meaning they were already admitted for something else when they tested positive for the virus.
Last Thursday, Russell said officials expected hospitalizations to peak at about 150 in mid-February.
This was part of explanation for the province's return to the less restrictive Level 2 of the COVID-19 winter plan two days earlier than expected. Previous projections showed hospitalizations were expected to reach nearly 220.
Department of Health officials could not immediately be reached Monday for comment.
Sixteen people are in intensive care, an increase of three. Seven of them are on ventilators, up two.
The seven-day average of hospitalizations jumped to 147, from 144, while the seven-day average of ICU admissions remained stable at 12, the dashboard shows.
The dashboard does not indicate the ages of those hospitalized. Public Health used to indicate in a news releases how many of the cases were 19 or under and how many were 60 or over, but it has stopped providing the releases, just as students resume in-person learning.
There were 169 new cases of COVID-19 reported, based on PCR (polymerase chain reaction) lab tests, putting the total active case count at 4,841.
An additional 517 people self-reported testing positive at home with rapid tests.
A total of 688,492 PCR tests have been conducted to date, including 631 on Sunday.
A total of 44 per cent of eligible New Brunswick have received a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose, up from 43.3 per cent, 84.5 per cent have received two doses of a vaccine, up from 84.4 per cent, and 92.1 per cent have received one dose, unchanged.
New Brunswick has had 28,885 cases of COVID since the beginning of the pandemic with 23,804 recoveries so far.
No sign of new subvariant
There's no sign the new Omicron subvariant BA.2 is in the province, according to the Department of Health.
"To date, this strain has not yet been identified in New Brunswick," department spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane said Monday.
BA.2 is now spreading in more than 50 countries around the world, including Canada.
Last Friday, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief medical health officer, said more than 100 cases of BA.2 have been detected in Canada since November, with about 77 of those identifications coming from the National Microbiology Laboratory, and the rest from provinces and territories.
Although Tam said the country's overall Omicron wave appears to be peaking, there's "always a possibility" this wave could wind up extended.
Danish scientists recently reported there's no difference in hospitalizations when compared with BA.1, and vaccines are expected to continue offering protection against severe illness — though early data does show that BA.2 may be more than 1.5 times more transmissible.
The U.K. Health Security Agency said Friday BA.2 has a doubling time of roughly four days and scientists believe it will become the country's dominant strain within the next month.
Asked whether provincial officials believe the subvariant is present even though it hasn't been detected yet, Macfarlane replied: "Current laboratory surveillance does not indicate that BA.2 is currently in New Brunswick."
Now why would Truckers in Ottawa being broadcasting such?
Anyone know what that is all about?
Defund the CBC!
Dieppe woman wonders why hospital-bound husband can't get a booster
Public Health says it's the health authority's responsibility
But O'Connell's husband has been at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton since mid-November, and he has yet to get his booster — despite repeated requests.
O'Connell said she phoned the hospital at least four times and spoke to someone different each time. She also called Public Health, has spoken to her MLA, and sent an email to Health Minister Dorothy Shephard.
"I have called time after time to the hospital and apparently their hands are tied. They have no say on it," said O'Connell.
"It's just shocking to me."
After hearing so much about outbreaks in hospitals and people catching COVID-19 while in hospital, O'Connell is concerned about her 73-year-old husband catching it.
Marti and Jerry O'Connell on a trip to Cuba in 2018. Jerry had his second booster shot in July but hasn't been able to get a booster since being admitted to hospital. (Submitted by Marti O'Connell)
"He's a vulnerable senior. I mean, all they do is go on and on and on and on in the news about how vulnerable our seniors are. And to see this happening … it's just outrageous."
Jerry O'Connell has Alzheimer's disease. He started living at a nursing home last year but was sent to hospital after a series of falls. He's been waiting ever since for a spot at a nursing home that can handle his cognitive needs and his limited mobility issues, his wife explained.
Since he isn't able to advocate for himself, Marti O'Connell has been trying to do it for him — and all the while, COVID cases in hospitals have soared. That's why she's trying so hard to get him a booster.
"I mean, how hard is it for someone in a hospital to give a needle?"
There's a nurse for that
In an email on Friday, Health Department spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane said, "Although we cannot talk about specific cases, the regional health authorities have been asked to ensure that all patients in hospital that are awaiting a nursing home bed should be offered a booster-third dose once 5 months has passed since their second dose was administered."
When asked if the shot would be given in the hospital, Macfarlane said it would.
When an extended care patient in hospital is due for their vaccine, he said, a [in hospital] is due for their vaccine, a
"public health information solution" nurse is assigned to administer the vaccine, he said.
O'Connell said no one has ever mentioned such a nursing position and she intends to inquire about it on Monday.
Her husband had his second vaccine dose on July 7.
A spokesperson for the Vitalité Health Network deferred to the Health Department when asked about the booster delay.
"As your question was related to Public Health, Bruce Macfarlane from the Department of Health sent you a response," wrote Thomas Lizotte on Friday.
He did not respond to followup questions by publication time.
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