The number of infections caused by respiratory viruses continues to climb in the province, a situation that remains of concern to New Brunswick Public Health because of the risks it poses to the hospital system.
New Brunswick Public Health released an update on Tuesday on the number of infections caused by influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus.
According to Dr. Yves Léger, acting chief medical officer, the situation remains worrying.
Nationally, influenza activity remains above expected levels for this time of year. The number of cases, consultations following an infection, hospitalizations and deaths linked to this virus remain high.
“At the provincial level, we are still seeing a lot of influenza activity and we do not seem to have peaked in infections yet. For the past week, we have reached the record of 836 infections, the highest rate ever recorded since 2005-2006, the year that the province began to track it, ”explained Dr Léger during a point Press.
In the past week, 115 people have been admitted to hospital with the flu, surpassing the record of 69 hospitalizations set in January 2019. According to Public Health, more than half of those admitted were over the age of 65 years. Nearly 20% of them were under the age of 19.
Health authorities add that respiratory syncytial virus infections have stabilized, but the number of cases remains high.
According to Dr. Léger, the activity of COVID-19 also remains important.
The latest weekly update released on Tuesday reports 1,247 new infections for the period from December 4 to December 10. The previous week, Public Health had reported 1,011 new cases. For the past week, 130 patients have been hospitalized with COVID-19 in hospitals across the province.
“The data clearly tells us that the respiratory virus season has arrived earlier and is more intense than usual, recalled Dr. Léger. The situation has not improved since the last update on November 18, it has worsened in several respects.”
High rate of absenteeism
Public Health indicates that 20% of schools in the province reported an absenteeism rate of at least 10% this week due to the presence of influenza symptoms.
The impact is also felt within the hospital network. As of December 10, there were 92 health care workers absent on the Horizon Health Network side. At Vitalité, they were 52.
Greg Doiron, vice president of clinical operations at Horizon Health Network, says high respiratory virus activity is having a big impact on healthcare workers, who were already experiencing tremendous pressure due to labor shortages. work.
“I can confirm that we are facing the earliest and most aggressive flu season we have ever seen,” Doiron said at the press briefing. Admissions for influenza and respiratory syncytial virus are in the range that we typically see at the height of flu season.”
Same story on the side of the Vitalité Health Network, which notes that respiratory viruses increase waiting times in hospital emergency rooms.
“Our health system is facing a severe shortage of personnel. Added to this are the various viruses that unfortunately also affect our employees,” says Sharon Smith-Okana, vice-president of clinical services at Vitalité Health Network.
Mr. Doiron therefore invites sick people to avoid emergencies unless absolutely necessary.
With the holiday season approaching, Dr. Yves Léger asks New Brunswickers to do everything to stop the spread of respiratory viruses. Vaccination against the flu and COVID-19, wearing a mask in busy public places, regular hand washing are some of the tools that can help, he says.
“My concerns remain more than ever with the approach of the holiday season. We can expect an increase in the activity of respiratory viruses in the new year if we do not adopt the necessary strategies”, says Dr. Léger, who for the moment rules out imposing certain health measures again, such as wearing a mask in public.