New Brunswick reported two more deaths from COVID-19, a week-over-week jump in hospitalizations and nursing home outbreaks because of the virus, and an increase in flu cases and hospitalizations Tuesday.
Green Party health critic Megan Mitton is calling on the Higgs government to hold a public inquiry into its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mitton cited a CBC article that showed the province’s COVID death rate last year was the highest recorded of any province or territory since vaccines became available in 2021, and higher than 47 of 50 American states.
“New Brunswick’s COVID death rate since the removal of pandemic restrictions in March 2022 is appallingly high,” Mitton said in a statement. “We need a full public inquiry to get to the bottom of this and the government’s ongoing handling of COVID-19 over the past four years.”
Green Party health critic Megan Mitton called the province’s COVID-19 death rate ‘appallingly high.’ (Patrick Richard/CBC)
“I didn’t feel I got all of the answers I was looking for,” she said. “A full public inquiry is needed to shine a light on how we went from the lowest COVID death rate in the country to the highest.”
Martin found the Department of Health was unable to provide evidence-based documentation to support 33 “key” Public Health decisions that had provincewide impact.
CBC asked the department what those 33 decisions were, but spokesperson Sean Hatchard did not provide the information.
“The department recognizes there were some improvements that could be made in the response to the next emergency,” he said in an emailed statement. The department will be taking some time to review the auditor general’s findings before commenting further, he added.
Highest hospitalizations, outbreaks this season
Seventy-three people were hospitalized for or with COVID during the reporting week, up from 51 in the previous report, and the highest weekly number since the respiratory season began on Aug. 27. Six people required intensive care, down from seven.
Among those hospitalized is a child under four, four people aged 20 to 44, 14 aged 45 to 64 and 54 aged 65 or older.
There were 27 COVID outbreaks — another weekly high this season, and up nearly 108 per cent from the 13 outbreaks reported a week ago.
Nursing homes account for six of the latest outbreaks, double the number in the previous report, while 21 are in “other facilities,” which could include adult residential homes or correctional centres.
‘Moderate’ COVID activity
A total of 167 new cases of COVID have been confirmed through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) lab tests, up from 138, and the highest weekly number so far this respiratory season.
The Moncton region, Zone 1, has the majority of the cases, at 58. The regional distribution of the remaining cases includes:
23, Saint John region, Zone 2.
31, Fredericton region, Zone 3.
Six, Edmundston region, Zone 4.
13, Campbellton region, Zone 5.
23, Bathurst region, Zone 6.
13, Miramichi region, Zone 7.
The positivity rate — the percentage of the total PCR lab tests performed that produced a positive result — is 13 per cent, unchanged.
The COVID-19 positivity rate ranges from a low of 11 per cent in the Miramichi region, Zone 7, to a high of 25 per cent in the Campbellton region, Zone 5, for an average of 13 per cent. (Government of New Brunswick)
Only about 1,300 tests were conducted, compared to about 6,300 tests during the same week last year, a graphic in the report shows. The province has restricted PCR tests since April to people with symptoms who have a referral from a primary health-care provider.
“COVID-19 activity remains moderate,” the report says. “Some indicators remained stable throughout the current reporting period, although an increase was observed in hospitalizations as well as number of outbreaks reported.”
There have been 119,487 XBB.1.5 COVID vaccines administered since Oct. 4, up from 114,432 a week ago, according to figures from the Department of Health.
Discrepancy in seasonal totals explained
The Respiratory Watch report indicates there have been 37 COVID deaths so far this respiratory season, 890 hospitalizations, 54 ICU admissions and 219 outbreaks.
With the exception of deaths, however, these seasonal totals are all higher than the sums of the previous reports, which suggest 811 hospitalizations, 52 ICU admissions and 206 outbreaks.
Asked to explain these discrepancies, Department of Health spokesperson Sean Hatchard said the totals are revised based on new data received between reports.
“As indicated in each report, data in Respiratory Watch is subject to change due to reporting delays. Missed events are captured in subsequent reports as data becomes available,” he said in an emailed statement.
“The most recent Respiratory Watch report provides the most accurate counts based on the data received at the time of reporting.”
CBC requested an interview Tuesday with Dr. Yves Léger, the acting chief medical officer of health, but did not receive a response.
Flu hospitalizations up nearly 147%
Thirty-seven people were hospitalized with the flu between Dec. 3 and Dec. 9, up from 15 the previous week — a nearly 147 per cent increase.
Two were admitted to intensive care, unchanged.
The number of flu cases confirmed by a lab, meanwhile, jumped nearly 98 per cent to 164, from 83.
These raise the total number of lab-confirmed flu cases to 350 since the respiratory season began on Aug. 27.
No flu deaths have been reported yet this respiratory season, according to Tuesday’s report. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
The Bathurst region, Zone 6, has the largest share of the new cases, at 58, followed by the Moncton region, Zone 1, with 39, and Miramichi region, Zone 7, with 36.
The Saint John region, Zone 2, has 13 cases, the Fredericton region, Zone 3, eight, Edmundston region, Zone 4, seven, and the Campbellton region, Zone 5, three.
Five schools reported influenza-like illness outbreaks, up from three. No information about the schools, the number of cases or whether it’s students or staff affected has been released.
School outbreaks are based on 10 per cent absenteeism in a school because of influenza-like illness symptoms, the report says.
A total of 187,873 New Brunswickers have been vaccinated against the flu since Oct. 4.
11 Horizon hospital unit outbreaks
Horizon Health Network has 77 active COVID-19 hospitalizations, as of Saturday, up 67 per cent from its 46 COVID patients a week ago, according to its COVID dashboard.
Five people require intensive care, down from six.
Fewer Horizon health-care workers are off the job after testing positive for COVID with a rapid test or PCR test than last week — 44, compared to 50.
But Horizon has m ore COVID outbreaks on hospital units than a week ago — 11, as of Monday. These include:
The Moncton Hospital — chronic care and oncology.
Saint John Regional Hospital — internal medicine and surgery.
Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital — coronary care unit, palliative care, orthopedics, ear, nose throat, and plastics, and the coronary care unit.
Charlotte County Hospital — family medicine and restorative care.
Although it has been updating its hospital outbreaks page weekly, it has not updated since Dec. 12. At that time, there were outbreaks on seven hospital units.
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
