The weekly page, part of the Public Health Contagious website, replaces the COVID-19 dashboard, which has been limited to weekly updates in recent weeks. The Ministry of Health did not respond again on Monday to a request for comment on whether all the same data will still be available. However, Dr Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer, told the CBC last month that the county would “cut back… on a surveillance panel περισσότερο just like the flu, etc.” Weekly flu surveillance reports include information on:

Positive influenza cases confirmed by laboratory tests, distributed by health area Influenza-related hospitalization, ICU admissions and deaths Laboratory confirmed outbreaks in nursing homes and “other settings”, broken down by health area ILI outbreaks in schools broken down by health area, which is based on the fact that schools report absenteeism rates of more than 10 percent likely due to ILI The rate of advice for influenza-like illnesses (ILI)

Influenza-related hospitals and ICU admissions in New Brunswick, per week of hospitalization for the current and last season, are part of the weekly flu reports on the Public Health website. No deaths have been reported so far this season. (New Brunswick Government)
The information is presented through a summary, graphs, tables and a map broken down into health zones. There is no breakdown by age, vaccination data and information on the fullness of hospitals or the number of health care workers who are ill. The report also provides a snapshot of influenza activity in Canada and around the world. The most recent available weekly flu report is for almost a month before – March 6-12.

Less risk measurement data

Critics have argued that the government is asking the New Brunswickers to manage their COVID-19 risk now that all public health measures have been lifted, but at the same time providing less data on the virus to help them measure that risk. Department of Health spokesman Bruce McFarlane said part of the transition to life with COVID-19 was “redistributing our time and resources to other priority areas of public health.” He did not respond to a request for comment as to why maintaining a new weekly page required less time or resources, or to explain other “priority areas”.

Horizon has 125 patients with COVID

As of the last update on March 29, New Brunswick reported 13 COVID-related deaths in the past seven days and 142 people were hospitalized across the county, including eight in the intensive care unit. On Monday, the Horizon Health Network alone reported having 125 inpatients with COVID, 13 of whom needed intensive care. The Vitalité Health Network did not respond to a request for comment Monday, but has had 61 COVID patients since last Friday, pushing the provincial total to 186. At the end of February, 89 people were being treated across the province. The fullness at the Horizon Regional Hospital Dr. Everett Chalmers in Fredericton accounts for 97 percent with 45 patients with COVID, including one in the ICU, while Saint John Regional Hospital and Moncton Hospitals report a 95 percent capacity, with 33 patients with COVID (seven in the ICU) and 30 patients. with COVID (three in ICU), respectively. Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville has a capacity of 85 percent, with four patients with COVID (no one in the ICU) and Miramichi Regional Hospital at 72 percent, with 13 patients with COVID (two in the ICU). Vitalité’s facilities have had a capacity of 103 percent since 1 April. On March 29, the fullness of hospitals across the province was 90 percent, according to the control panel, and the fullness of ICU beds was 73 percent. Horizon has fewer out-of-home healthcare workers after testing positive for COVID-19-228, up from 274 last week. The Saint John area, Zone 2, has the largest share, with 81, followed by the Moncton area, Zone 1, with 69, the Fredericton area, Zone 3, with 65, and the Miramichi area, Zone 7, with 13. But Vitalité reported a 41 percent jump in sick workers in eight days, with 352 workers out of work due to COVID-19 on March 30. Both regional health networks have stated that they will remain at a red alert level with restrictions, such as the mandatory mask and ban on general visitors, until further notice. Vitalité reported increasing cases and Horizon has indicated the expected arrival of a sixth wave of COVID-19.