FREDERICTON (GNB) – Beginning today, New Brunswickers 18 and older can schedule an appointment for a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine, as long as five months have passed since their second dose.

Those eligible will be offered Moderna at booster clinics, regardless of which vaccine they received for previous doses. The limited supply of Pfizer booster doses is being reserved for people 12-29 because the risk of complications in this age group, while very small, is reduced with the Pfizer vaccine. There is no difference in risks between Moderna and Pfizer for people over 30.

Hospitalizations

Public Health reported there are 13 people in intensive care and another 73 in hospital for a total of 86 people hospitalized due to COVID-19. Of those in hospital, 65 are over 60 and 10 people are on a ventilator. No one 19 and under is hospitalized. The seven-day rolling average of hospitalizations is available on the COVID-19 dashboard.

The rate of people hospitalized and in ICU continues to most greatly impact people who are unvaccinated. Information about the rates of cases and hospitalizations based on vaccination status, the age and origin of new cases, and additional information, is available on the COVID-19 dashboard.

Over the weekend, two people died as a result of COVID-19. Both individuals were 70-79, one person in Zone 2 (Saint John region) and another person in Zone 7 (Miramichi region).

Rapid test kit results

There were 443 positive rapid (point of care) test results submitted with a Jan. 9 result date. Since the creation of the Point of Care Testing – Positive Result Self Reporting web portal on Jan. 5, more than 3,800 results from rapid tests have been submitted.

Due to the delay between when people submit their results and the spread currently happening because of the Omicron variant, these numbers combined with the daily PCR positive results available on the COVID-19 dashboard are understood to be lower than the actual number of cases. Enhancements are being made to the dashboard to include daily self-reported positive test results along with the health zones and age range of those who test positive.

Learn more

All of New Brunswick is in the Level 2 phase of the winter plan to manage COVID-19. More information on the COVID-19 alert system, including guidance on public health measures, restrictions and the mandatory order, is available online.

Other useful links:

 

10-01-22