Another single-day record for New Brunswick. Provincial health officials reported 572 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.
Two virus-related deaths were also reported as two people in their 70s — one from the Saint John area, the other from the Fredericton health zone — have died.
Of the new cases, 140 are in the Moncton region, 219 are in the Saint John area, 89 are in the Fredericton zone, 46 are in the Edmundston region, eight are in the Campbellton area, 33 are in the Bathurst zone, and 37 are in the Miramichi region.
There are 2,840 active cases across the province, including 1,218 in the Saint John region and 821 in the Moncton area.
Forty people are in hospital due to the virus, 16 require an ICU, and 11 are on a ventilator.
Public Health said 82.9 per cent of the eligible population are fully vaccinated, 90.1 per cent have received their first dose, and 19.6 per cent have received a booster dose.
The rate of new cases is 72 per 100,000 for the fully vaccinated, 36.9 per 100,000 for the partially vaccinated, and nearly 100 per 100,000 for the unvaccinated.
Of those currently in hospital, the rate is 3.1 per 100,000 for the fully vaccinated, 0 per 100,000 for the partially vaccinated, and 20 per 100,000 for the unvaccinated.
Among those in the ICU, the rates are 0.6 per 100,000 for the fully vaccinated, 0 per 100,000 for the partially vaccinated, and 11.4 per 100,000 for the unvaccinated.
Since Dec. 1, more than 3.8 million rapid tests have been distributed to New Brunswickers through schools, workplaces, airports and pickup sites.
A release from the province mentioned that “while the delivery of rapid tests to the province has slowed during the holiday season it is expected to return to normal in the new year.”
Assessment centres continue to experience delays due to increased demand for PCR tests.
“More resources and extended hours have been allotted to the Saint John assessment centre to help clear the backlog of more than 2,200 requests in Zone 2,” added the release.
Provincial officials will hold a media briefing at 11 a.m. Friday to discuss the government’s approach to testing, isolation, and contact tracing in light of the dominant Omicron variant.
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