NB COVID-19 roundup: Minister of Education provides update on schools
New Brunswick Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Dominic Cardy provided new information Monday on the situation of schools in the province.
The provincial government announced a news conference would be held at 2:30 p.m., with Cardy and ministry staff in attendance. The briefing will be streamed live here.
Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Dominic Cardy provides an update on COVID-19 and New Brunswick schools. 0:00
Most of the province’s students have been home since the holidays, with the province initially announcing that online learning would begin Jan. 11 and continue until Jan. 21.
As the province moves into Level 3 of its COVID-19 winter plan, the return of students to school has been pushed back to January 31.
The decision to delay the reopening of schools came amid a growing number of new COVID-19 infections, as well as an increase in hospitalizations caused by the disease.
134 in hospital with COVID-19
Three more people with COVID-19 have died, Public Health announced Monday, including a person in their 90s in the Moncton area, Zone 1, a person in their 80s in the Saint John area, Zone 2 and a person aged 70. years to the Edmundston area, zone 4. This brings the current total of COVID-related deaths in the province to 212.
There are 12 people in intensive care and 119 others in hospital, for a total of 131 people hospitalized with COVID-19, Public Health said in a news release.
Seventy-four of those currently hospitalized were admitted for reasons other than COVID-19.
Of those hospitalized, 101 are 60 or older and four people are on ventilators. Three people aged 19 and under are hospitalized. The seven-day rolling average of hospitalizations is available on the COVID-19 dashboard.
There are currently 469 healthcare workers who have tested positive for the virus and are in isolation.
The rate of people in hospital and in intensive care continues to have the greatest impact on those who are unvaccinated and those who are more than six months away from their second dose.
Information on case and hospitalization rates by vaccination status, age and origin of new cases, as well as additional information, is available on the COVID-19 dashboard.
