N.B. COVID-19 roundup: 2 more deaths, 50% of eligible population now boosted
CBC
New Brunswick recorded two more COVID-related deaths Tuesday, and half of eligible New Brunswickers have now received their COVID-19 vaccine booster shot, as the province prepares to lift all COVID restrictions within two weeks.
The number of people in hospital decreased by three, to 86. Three people require intensive care, unchanged, and one of them is on a ventilator, down one.
The latest deaths include a person in their 60s in the Moncton region, Zone 1, and a person in their 80s in the Fredericton region, Zone 3.
Of the 86 people in hospital, 47 are hospitalized for COVID-19 and 42 were admitted for something else when they tested positive for the virus.
The seven-day average of COVID-related hospitalizations jumped to 80 from 76. It had been on a steady decline for the past three weeks, when it stood at 161 on Feb. 7, before increasing Monday to 76, from 75 on Friday, when the province last released figures.
The seven-day average of people requiring intensive care, meanwhile, decreased again to four from five.
There are 468 health-care workers isolating because of COVID-19, an increase of 25 since Monday. These include 235 with Horizon Health Network, 146 with Vitalité Health Network, and 87 with Extra-Mural and Ambulance New Brunswick.
The province's hospitals are operating at 90 per cent capacity and intensive care units are at 73 per cent capacity, according to the dashboard.
Public Health confirmed 287 new cases of COVID-19 through lab-based PCR tests, putting the active case count at 3,574.
An additional 673 people self-reported testing positive on rapid tests.
A total of 733,395 PCR tests have been conducted to date, including 1,966 on Monday.
As of Tuesday, 50 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers have received their COVID-19 vaccine booster dose, up from 49.9 per cent, 87.1 per cent have received two vaccine doses, up from 87 per cent, and 92.8 per cent have received one dose, unchanged again.
New Brunswick has had 37,769 cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, with 33,887 recoveries so far and 306 COVID-related deaths.
With the end of the mandatory order, the province is set to lift all COVID restrictions by March 14, including mask mandates, gathering limits and isolation requirements.
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