COVID-19 kills 15 more New Brunswickers, hospitalizations and cases decrease
9 people admitted to hospital because of the virus between June 25 and July 22, and 108 new cases confirmed
Fifteen more New Brunswickers have died from COVID-19, raising the pandemic death toll to 928, the latest update from the province shows.
COVID-19 deaths have remained stable, at an average of 3.8 deaths per week, according to the monthly COVIDWatch report.
Hospitalizations because of the virus decreased between June 25 and July 22 to an average of 1.8 per week, the report says.
The number of new confirmed COVID cases also slightly decreased, at an average of 27 per week, while the positivity rate showed an initial decrease followed by an increase during the final week, it says.
All of the people who died were aged 70 or older.
Only two of the deaths occurred during the reporting period, both in July, the Department of Health said. Seven occurred in June, five in May and one in April.
Deaths are subject to an average two-month lag in reporting from date of death to the registration of death, the report says.
Nine people were newly admitted to hospital because of the virus during the reporting period, down from 23 last month. None required require intensive care, down from three.
Positivity rate of 5.4%
The number of new COVID cases dropped to 108 from 211 a month ago.
There were also fewer PCR (polymerase chain reaction) lab tests performed — 1,986, compared to 2,492.
The positivity rate, which serves as an indicator of community transmission, is now 5.4 per cent, down from 8.5 per cent.
An additional 59 people self-reported testing positive on a rapid test in the past month, according to the Department of Health, down from 96.
Of the 20 random positive PCR samples sent for genetic sequencing between June 23 and July 13, 100 per cent were XBB, the COVIDWatch report shows.
The report does not provide a further breakdown of the highly transmissive and immune-evasive sublineages, such as XBB.1.5 or XBB.1.16.
The next COVIDWatch report is scheduled to be issued on Aug. 29.
Horizon details
Horizon Health Network has 24 people hospitalized for or with COVID, as of Saturday, up from 20 last month, its monthly COVID update shows. The number of people who require intensive care has dropped from two to zero.
The majority of the hospitalizations, 20, are in the Fredericton region, Zone 3, while the Saint John region, Zone 2, has two patients. and the Miramichi region, Zone 7, has one.
Vitalité has two COVID patients, down from four, its dashboard shows. No patients are in ICU, unchanged.
Both of the patients are at the Edmundston Regional Hospital, in Zone 4.
Ten Horizon health-care workers are off the job after testing positive for COVID, down from 14.
Vitalité currently has no infected health-care workers. Last month, it had three.
Horizon has COVID outbreaks on two hospital units, both in the Fredericton region, up from none a month ago. Vitalité has not updated its outbreak page. It's still showing no outbreaks, as of June 12.