COVID-19: New Brunswick reports drop in hospitalizations, 3 deaths in latest update

New Brunswick reported a drop in hospitalizations, an increase in new positive tests and three deaths in its latest COVID-19 update.

During the period between June 19 to June 25, there were six new hospitalizations — down from 17 new admissions last week. There are now 15 active hospitalizations, 10 fewer than the week prior, with one person in ICU.

“The highest portion of hospitalizations for COVID-19 is among individuals aged 60-79,” the weekly report said.

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The province also reported an additional three deaths linked to COVID-19: one person in their 70s and two people aged 90 and older. A total of 425 people have now died from COVID-19 in New Brunswick.

During the last reporting period, there were no new deaths reported.

There are also 484 new positive PCR tests reported during the last week, an increase from the 425 reported in the previous week. There are also another 541 new cases reported from rapid tests, up from 403 in the last update.

There are now an estimated 657 active cases in New Brunswick, an increase from the 618 active cases reported last week.

Subvariants

Out of the most recent random samples sequenced for COVID-19, 55 per cent were the BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron variant, which is more transmissible than the original BA.1 variant.

As well, 27 per cent of the samples were the newer BA.4 subvariant and 18 per cent were the BA.5 variant.

Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said in an interview that the combination of BA.4 and BA.5 are becoming the predominant strains and are expected to continue to grow, as they are even more transmissible than the BA.2 subvariant.

“A variant of concern, by definition, is a strain that has more properties that can cause either an increase in immune evasion, an increase in transmissibility, increase in severity,” she said.

Russell said the emerging subvariants could result in higher numbers of hospitalizations, but it’s too soon to say for sure.

“It could happen. We’re hoping not. But as of right now at the national level, they’re expecting to see a wave in the early to mid-fall,” she said. “But again, those are models and we look at the real-time data.”

She said one of the top concerns with the subvariants is that of waning immunity.

“So those folks who have had their last dose of the vaccine several months ago, we do see some waning,” she said. “So right now is a really good time. If you haven’t had your second booster, you should get that.”

Currently, second booster doses are available for those aged 50 and up, and First Nations people aged 18 and up.

Russell said the province is waiting on recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization to expand second booster doses to more age groups.

So far, 88.2 per cent of New Brunswickers have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and 52.8 per cent have received a booster dose.