**** HEALTH/WELLNESS Media Release
One Death, 678 New Cases of COVID-19, Long-Term Care Outbreaks, Hospital Outbreaks, State of Emergency Renewed
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NOTE: Nova Scotia will issue abbreviated COVID-19 news releases on January 8 and 9. The online dashboard will not be updated again until Monday, January 10.
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Today, January 7, Nova Scotia is reporting one death related to COVID-19. A woman in her 80s in Central Zone has died.
It cannot be confirmed that she had the Omicron variant at this time. However, she was hospitalized during the Omicron wave.
“I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends who are grieving the loss of their loved one today,” said Premier Tim Houston. “We need to protect everyone from this virus. Please get vaccinated and get your booster shot as soon as you can, get tested if you feel unwell and follow public health measures to help protect yourself and your communities.”
Nova Scotia is also reporting 678 new cases of COVID-19.
There are 394 cases in Central Zone, 108 cases in Eastern Zone, 97 cases in Northern Zone and 79 cases in Western Zone.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the family of the woman who has passed away,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. “We cannot forget that this virus is all around us, and I cannot emphasize enough how critical it is to follow the public health measures to prevent further illness and death from COVID-19. Together we can slow the spread of the virus.”
There are 48 people in hospital with seven in ICU. Their ages range from 31 to 94 years old, and the average age is 67. Of the 48 in hospital, 44 were admitted during the Omicron wave.
The vaccination status of those in hospital is:
— 6 (12.5 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
— 25 (52.1 per cent) are fully vaccinated (two doses)
— 2 (4.2 per cent) are partially vaccinated
— 15 (31.3 per cent) are unvaccinated.
It is important to note that only 10 per cent of Nova Scotians are unvaccinated.
Because of a spike in testing and positive cases, public health is experiencing delays in follow-up. All cases should contact their close contacts. Public health is prioritizing contact tracing in long-term care, healthcare facilities, correctional facilities, shelters and other group settings.
Information about testing, self-isolation and case management is available at: https://www.nshealth.ca/coronavirus .
Hospital Outbreaks, Long-Term Care Outbreaks
The Province is reporting six new outbreaks in long-term care facilities. Public health is working with the facilities to prevent further spread. Increased public health measures and restrictions are in place. The outbreaks involve:
— six staff members at Blomidon Court in Wolfville
— five staff members at Orchard Court in Kentville
— two staff members and one resident at Evergreen Home for Special Care in Kentville
— 10 staff members and one resident at Grand View Manor in Berwick
— six staff members and three residents at Queens Manor in Liverpool
— five staff members at The Meadows in Yarmouth.
The Province is also reporting additional cases involved in the following outbreaks:
— three staff members and two residents at Parkstone in Halifax
— one staff member and two residents at Melville Gardens in Halifax
— four staff members at the Sagewood in Halifax.
The Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) is reporting additional cases related to the outbreaks in three hospitals. All patients are being closely monitored and other infection prevention and control measures are being put in place. The additional cases involved are:
— two additional patients at Cape Breton Regional Hospital; fewer than five people at the facility have tested positive
— one additional patient at Northside General Hospital; fewer than 10 people at the facility have tested positive
— one additional patient in a ward at the Victoria General site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre; fewer than five people at the facility have tested positive.
Active Cases, Tests, Vaccination Data
As of today, there are an estimated 6,615 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.
On January 6, NSHA’s labs completed 5,709 tests.
Rapid test data is not available today. Under the new testing strategy, the Province will be changing how it reports this data to include test-kit distribution numbers.
As of January 6, 1,842,770 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 796,012 Nova Scotians have received their second dose, and 180,694 eligible Nova Scotians have received a third dose.
The Province is renewing the state of emergency to protect the health and safety of Nova Scotians and ensure safety measures and other important actions can continue. The order will take effect at noon, Sunday, January 9, and extend to noon, Sunday, January 23, unless the government terminates or extends it.
Quick Facts:
–a state of emergency was declared under the Emergency Management Act on March 22, 2020, and has been extended to January 23, 2022
Additional Resources:
Nova Scotians can find accurate, up-to-date information, handwashing posters and fact sheets at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus
Information on provincewide restrictions that took effect December 22 and other public health measures to help slow the spread of COVID-19 is available at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/restrictions-and-guidance/
More information on COVID-19 case data, testing and vaccines is available at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/data/
More information about public health text notifications of positive COVID-19 cases and close contacts is available here: https://www.nshealth.ca/news/public-health-notifying-positive-covid-19-cases-text-advising-notify-close-contacts
Government of Canada: https://canada.ca/coronavirus or 1-833-784-4397 (toll-free)
