How New Brunswick Flattened the Curve

Health data expert Dr. Ted McDonald, Director of the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training at UNB, insists that New Brunswick has been so successful "flattening the curve" during COVID-19 has to do with how quickly the province reacted to the virus.

"Shutting down schools early was very important in flattening the curve," said McDonald, acknowledging the efforts made by Education Minister Dominic Cardy to close schools in mid-March across the province. New Brunswick led the way in Canada when it came to dealing with school closures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Cardy has since been recognized across the country for his proactive instinct to shut down educational institutions and move studies for students of all ages online.

McDonald also applauds the efforts made by Premier Higgs and Dr. Jennifer Russell. To date, New Brunswick has tested approximately 1% of the total population, which has been helpful in pinpointing individual cases that need to be isolated and treated. That said, it has been less effective in helping us understand the nature of the virus itself. Dr. McDonald recognizes that expansive testing drains financial and medical resources, which makes testing the entire population of New Brunswick impossible. However, he believes experts could learn a lot about the disease by testing a random sampling of the population. Dr. McDonald also believes the rural nature of the province has been a fortunate circumstance for New Brunswick in decreasing the potential for rapid spread of COVID-19.