8 more COVID-19 deaths in N.B., decrease in hospital admissions, 12 new cases of XBB.1.5 – CBC
Decrease in lab-confirmed new cases, but positivity rate up after fewer PCR tests performed
Jan 31, 2023
New Brunswick is reporting eight more deaths from COVID-19, a decrease in hospital admissions because of the virus and a decrease in new lab-confirmed cases in Tuesday’s weekly update.
The proportion of cases identified as XBB, an offshoot of the Omicron BA.2 subvariant, has jumped to 10 per cent, as of the week ending Jan. 28, from three per cent the previous week.
The COVIDWatch report does not indicate how many of them are the subvariant XBB.1.5, which the World Health Organization has described as “the most transmissible” subvariant yet.
But Department of Health spokesperson Adam Bowie confirmed to CBC there were 12.
That brings the total confirmed to date to 19.
XBB.1.5 was first detected in the province earlier this month, when two cases were announced. One more case was confirmed on Jan. 17, and four cases were sequenced between Jan. 15 and Jan. 21, said Bowie.
