NL reported 3 more people have died from COVID-19 over the past week according to the Health Department latest update since last Wednesday.
17 people are in hospital with 1 person in critical care. The majority of those are in Eastern Health region with 1 person in the Central Health hospital and 3 patients in the Western Health hospital.
Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says earlier this month she expected an increase in hospitalizations as Omicron subvariant BA-5 circulate around the globe.
The newest deaths rates raise the provinces total to 205 since March 2020, with 11 reported in July.
The Health Department is also reporting 407 new cases since last Wednesday. The provinces numbers don’t represent the true spread of COVID-19 in NL however, since the Health Department restricts PC testing done by health authorities and the daily case counts don’t include people testing positive on rapid tests they perform themselves.
People 50 and older are now eligible for a second booster vaccine. Residents of long-term care or congregate living facilities and people who identify Indigenous or who live in remote or rural communities are also eligible.