Horizon quietly reverts to modified orange COVID-19 alert level while province stays green
CBC
New Brunswick remains in the green phase of COVID-19 recovery in the face of record case numbers, hospitalizations and deaths, but the Horizon Health Network has quietly reverted to a "modified orange alert level," internal documents reveal.
Horizon, along with the Vitalité Health Network, has also changed some of its COVID-19 testing protocols, under the direction of Public Health. Both organizations are struggling to deal with backlogs and staffing shortages, as intensive care beds fill up with COVID patients who require constant care.
One of the changes drops the requirement for health-care workers who have not provided proof of full vaccination to complete a standard PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test once a month.
It's unclear if any of the changes are related to testing supply shortages, but one Public Health document indicates it's "essential" to preserve resources and another shows a move away from the "gold standard" for sample collection.
Neither Horizon nor Department of Health officials responded Tuesday to a request for comment on supply stocks.
Horizon sent staff, physicians and volunteers updated orange phase guidelines last Wednesday, two days before the province reinstated the state of emergency.
"With the recent increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions, particularly ICU admissions, in New Brunswick, we are closely monitoring our health care system, notably our capacity to care for urgent and emergency cases, while maintaining essential services," interim president and CEO Dr. John Dornan wrote in a memo, obtained by CBC News.
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