N.B. expands access to COVID-19 rapid tests, as virus claims 4 more lives

New Brunswick is making it easier for people to obtainCOVID-19 rapid tests, the Department of Health announced on Wednesday, after the province recorded four more COVID-related deathsin the past week.

People no longer need to have COVID symptoms to qualify for a rapid test kit, and the kits will be available for pickup at more locations, particularly in rural areas, includinglibraries or municipal offices.

The tests should still only be used when people are symptomatic, "as that is when they are most effective and useful," saidDr. Yves Lger, acting deputy chief medical officer of health.

And people stillneed toschedule an appointmentto pick up a test kit, either online orby calling 1-833-437-1424.

"Appointments are still there in order to make sure that our distribution spots are open and they have supply on hand to provide to folks,"Lgersaid.

Asked why New Brunswick can't follow the lead of other jurisdictions that don't require appointments, he said the province is alwayslooking at waystoimprove access.

"If that's one of the ways that, you know, we can look at going forward, that's certainly something that we'll look at."

The province also needs to be a "good steward"of the public supply, addedLger.

"So we need to make sure that we're using it the most appropriate way possible and making sure that, you know, we maintain that supply."

AlthoughLger could not immediately say how many rapid test kits the province has in stock or when a new shipment is expected, it does have"an ample supply" heading into the fall and winter months, when COVID activity is expected to increase.

Public Health encourages people to keep only a small number of kits on hand to ensure thatsupply remains "healthy," he said.

The anticipated increase in COVID activity is"important to keep in mind,"but the impetus for the decision to increase access isPublic Health's continuous review of "how to improve things," saidLger.

He could not say when the kits are set to expire.

People who are symptomatic should arrange to have someone else pick up a test kit, if possible,Lgersaid.

"We know that COVID-19 is still circulating in New Brunswick, and that New Brunswickers want to do their best to minimize the spread of the virus within their communities."

The rapid test kits are now available at 82 locations "scattered across the province," said Department of Health spokesperson Adam Bowie.

He could not say how many of those are new.

"It's been a gradual increase, with new sites coming online incrementally. We didn't just open a whole slew of new sites today," he said in an email.

When people book an appointment to pick up a kit, they will be given a list of the sites closest to them, officials said.

Province reports 21 hospitalizations, RHAs say 96

The rapid test kit announcementcomes as the virus claimed the lives of four more people, all90 or older, the province's COVIDWatch report for Sept. 11 to Sept. 17 shows. Their deaths raise New Brunswick's pandemic death toll to 480.

Hospitalizations decreased to 21 from 35, includingtwo people who requireintensive care,down from four, according to Public Health.

Theprovince'stwo regional health authorities, meanwhile, say there are 96 New Brunswickers hospitalized either for or with COVID-19 as of Saturday, up from 81 a week ago.

Unlike Public Health, which only reportspeople hospitalized because of COVID-19, Horizon andVitalitalso include in their weekly reports those initially admitted for another reason wholater test positive for the virus.

Eight peopleare in intensive care,down from 12, the Horizon and VitalitCOVID-19 dashboards show.

The number of people newly admitted tohospital for COVID-19 also decreasedthis week to 21, compared to 23 last week, according to the province.

Among the new admissionsis one person in their 50s, two in their 60s, 10 in their 70s, six in their 80s and two 90 or older.

The highest portion of hospitalizations for COVID-19 is among people aged 70 to 89,the COVIDWatch report indicates.

People who are unprotected by vaccine continue to have the highest rate of hospitalization for COVID-19 and ICU admissions, it says.

A total of 1,451doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered across the province in the past week, according to theDepartment of Health. That includes192 first doses, 115 second doses, 438 third doses, also known as first boosters, and 706 fourth doses, or second boosters.

As of Wednesday, 90.5 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine,85.4 per cent have received their second dose, 53.6 per cent have received their first booster,and 20.9 per cent have received their second booster all unchanged from a week ago.

The Department of Health was unable to provide a breakdown of vaccination rates by age.

Lger would like to see the rates increase.

"We know the vaccines work well to protect against infection, but they're much more effective at protecting against severe outcomes so the hospitalizations and deaths. And booster doses help to maintain that protection," he said.

"So, you know, certainly we take every opportunity we can to encourage people to make sure they're up to date And especially, again, as we're going into the fall and we expect to see an increase in COVID activity in the coming months, it's all that much more important for folks to make sure they're up to date."

PCR cases 'stable'

The number of new cases of COVID-19 reported across the provincejumped to 1,091, from955, including those confirmedwith a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) lab test and people who self-reported testing positive on a rapid test.

This comes after students have been back to school for about two weeks with no mandatory COVID-19 protective measures.

There are 843 active cases of COVID across the province, based on PCR-confirmed cases alone.

Lgerdescribed this week's report as "positive" overall, with a reduction in some numbers and stabilization in others.

The number of new PCR-confirmed cases of COVID-19has remained "stable" this week at 586, compared to 575 in the previous report, Public Health said.

The Moncton region, Zone 1, has the largest share of the new cases, at 212,followed by133 in Zone 3, the Fredericton region,85 in Zone 2, the Saint John region, 54 in Zone 7, the Miramichi region,48 in Zone 6, the Bathurst region,42 in Zone 4, the Edmundston region, and12 in Zone 5, the Campbellton region.

Another 505 cases were self-reported through positive rapid test results, up from380.

The Moncton region, Zone 1, also has the largest share of these, at 170. The distribution of the other positive results includes:

• Saint John region, Zone 2, 116
• Fredericton region, Zone 3,148
• Edmundston region, Zone 4,23
• Campbellton region, Zone 5,eight
• Bathurst region, Zone 6,22
• Miramichi region, Zone 7,18

Of the most recentrandom samples sent for sequencing,93 per cent were the highly transmissible Omicron subvariantBA.5, sixper cent were the Omicron subvariant BA.4, and the other one per cent were Omicron subvariant BA.2.

New Brunswick has had 76,902lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, with 75,579of those now considered resolved.

Hospital outbreaks, sick staff

The Horizon Health Network reports 71 active COVID-19 hospital admissions, including five people in intensive care. That compares to57 and six respectively the previous week.

Vitalit Health Network reports 25 patients hospitalized, up from 24, with threein intensive care, down from sixthe previous week.

There are COVID-19 outbreaks on 10 Horizon hospital units, including fivein the Moncton region, Zone 1, three in the Saint John region, Zone 2, onein the Fredericton region, Zone 3, and one in the Miramichi region, Zone 7. No other details are provided.

Vitalit has outbreaks at theDr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton onthegeriatric unit (3A), rehabilitation unit (3F), andnephrologyunit (4F); andat theStella-Maris-de-Kent Hospital inSainte-Anne-de-Kent on the care unit.

The number of health-care workers off the job because of COVID-19 has dropped to 98, from 147.

Horizon has 46employees off because they tested positive for the virus, down from76, whileVitalit has 52 infected employees, down from 71.