N.B. COVID-19 roundup: Province sets single-day high of 177 new cases
CBC
New Brunswick set a single-day COVID-19 case-count record Thursday, with 177 new cases of the virus confirmed.
None of them are the new highly transmissible Omicron variant, according to a news release from Public Health.
The previous single-day record was one week ago, when 174 new cases were recorded.
The province's total number of active cases also reached a pandemic record-high of 1,237, and the province's total case count since the pandemic began has now surpassed the 10,000 mark, at 10,150.
It took New Brunswick 562 days to reach 5,000 cases and just 69 more days to double that, Ray Harris, a data analyst in Fredericton who maintains a COVID-19 tracking website, pointed out on Twitter.
He also noted 2,377 of the cases were before Aug. 1, when the province moved to the green phase of COVID-19 recovery and removed all restrictions, and 7,608 since — not including Thursday's figures.
There are 14 cases of Omicron in New Brunswick with "many more" expected, Shephard said.
They are located in the Moncton region, Zone 1, Saint John region, 2, Fredericton region, Zone 3, and Miramichi region, Zone 7, the Department of Health told CBC News.
"At this time, Omicron cases in the province will continue to be accounted for daily, under the 'new cases by health zone' category on the New Brunswick COVID-19 dashboard, which publishes new cases under their respective zone locations," said spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane.
He did not respond to questions about the condition of the affected people, whether they're in hospital, their vaccination status or age.
"I encourage anyone who has been to St. Francis Xavier University or to Antigonish, Nova Scotia, between Dec. 3 and 5 to book a PCR [polymerase chain reaction lab] test at an assessment centre as soon as possible due to the high number of cases coming out of that area," Shephard said in a statement.
The province's first confirmed Omicron cases are linked to the recent outbreak at St. FX, following events related to the annual X-Ring ceremony at locations both on and off campus, Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health, has said.
"I also ask those coming home for the holidays from post-secondary institutions outside the province to pick up rapid tests," Shephard said. "We need to take whatever steps we can to slow the spread."
The regional breakdown of the new cases, according to the COVID-19 dashboard, includes:
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