Key takeaways:
- According to New Brunswick’s chief epidemiologist, if current trends continue, the province could report 5,500 people testing positive for COVID-19 every day by the end of the month.
- To deal with outbreaks in the hospitals, the Edmundston Regional Hospital and Saint John Regional Hospital are shutting units and reallocating staff.
New Brunswick’s chief epidemiologist stated Tuesday that if current trends continue, the province could report 5,500 people testing positive for COVID-19 every day by the end of the month.
“We expect to reach our high point towards the January end or early February if these trends hold,” Mathieu Chalifoux said at a news conference in Fredericton. “This translates to nearly 5,500 cases per day and nearly 220 active hospitalizations.”
In the province, a total of 88 people have been hospitalized with COVID-19, with 14 in intensive care and 11 on a ventilator. Chalifoux predicted that the province would be back to normal in five to six weeks.
Also read: The leader of the NB Liberals asked govt to update the COVID-19 plans
“We are at the beginning of a very high tidal wave,” Horizon Health Network interim president John Dornan said Tuesday. It’s creeping up on us now, but in the next two to three weeks, it’ll slam into us like a tonne of bricks.”
“We’re approaching the two-year mark, but the terrible is yet to come,” he told reporters. “It’s not heading to come in the next 6 months; it’s going to come in the next few weeks.”
According to officials, one COVID-19-related death was reported in the Moncton area on Tuesday. Since the pandemic’s beginning, 173 people have died in the province.
To deal with outbreaks in the hospitals, the Edmundston Regional Hospital and Saint John Regional Hospital are shutting units and reallocating staff. Officials have said they anticipate the impact on front-line staff to grow in the coming weeks, as 377 healthcare workers have tested COVID-19 positive and are being isolated.
According to Chalifoux, up to 55,000 people could be isolated at any given time in the coming weeks. “Not only will this affect our healthcare system, but it will also have an impact on other critical services like fire departments, police departments, power services, and so on.” It will have an impact on both large and small businesses, as employees will need sick time or isolation time.”
Source: Global News
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