N.B. adds 6 more COVID-19 deaths, test positivity rate hits nearly year-long high – CBC
Hospitalizations and ICU admissions increase as province marks 1 year since protective measures were dropped
Mar 14, 2023
New Brunswick added six more COVID-19 deaths to the pandemic death toll Tuesday, reported a weekly increase in hospital admissions because of the virus, including a person under 20, and recorded the highest test positivity rate the province has seen in nearly a year, at 21.4 per cent.
A high test-positivity rate indicates a high level of community transmission. The test positivity rate is the percentage of the total PCR lab tests performed that produced a positive result.
“Public Health would strongly recommend that you exercise caution when comparing per cent positivity rates at different points in the COVID-19 pandemic, given there were different factors at play at different times — like public health mandates, different strains circulating, different testing strategies, etc.,” Department of Health spokesperson Sean Hatchard said in an emailed statement.
He did not elaborate.
CBC requested an interview with Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province’s chief medical officer of health, but was told she was in meetings and unavailable.
