**** HEALTH/WELLNESS Media Release
11 New Hospital Admissions, Nine Discharges, Five Deaths
—————————————————————-
Today, January 25, Nova Scotia is reporting 11 new hospital admissions and nine discharges.
Nova Scotia is also reporting five deaths related to COVID-19:
— a woman in her 70s in Central Zone
— a man in his 80s in Central Zone
— a man in his 80s in Central Zone
— a man in his 80s in Central Zone
— a woman in her 80s in Eastern Zone.
“Today we lost five more Nova Scotians to this virus, and I offer my deepest condolences to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one,” said Premier Tim Houston. “This virus has taken a lot from us, but we must stay vigilant. We need to slow down our activities, get vaccinated when we can whether that’s a first, second or booster dose and strictly follow the public health measures in place. Our actions will protect ourselves and each other.”
There are 92 people in hospital who were admitted due to COVID-19 and are receiving specialized care in a COVID-19 designated unit. That includes 15 people in ICU. The age range of those in hospital is 0-100 years old. The average age is 68, and the average length of stay of people admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 is seven days.
“This is another very sad day and I send my sympathies to the loved ones of the five Nova Scotians who died,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. “This has been a difficult two years for all Nova Scotians. I continue to ask for people’s patience, understanding and cooperation. Please respect the public health restrictions and get vaccinated to help slow the spread of this virus.”
Of the 92 people in hospital, 89 were admitted during the Omicron wave.
The vaccination status of those in hospital is:
— 17 (18.5 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
— 55 (59.8 per cent) are fully vaccinated (two doses)
— 3 (3.3 per cent) are partially vaccinated
— 17 (18.5 per cent) are unvaccinated.
It is important to note that less than 10 per cent of Nova Scotians are unvaccinated.
There are also two other groups of people in hospital related to COVID-19:
— 92 people who were identified as positive upon arrival at hospital but were admitted for another medical reason, or were admitted for COVID-19 but no longer require specialized care
— 120 people who contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital.
Vaccine Coverage:
As of January 24, 2,048,961 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 90.9 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their first dose, and 83.3 per cent have received their second dose.
As well, 46.8 per cent of Nova Scotians 18 and older have received a booster dose, and 9.6 per cent have booked a booster dose appointment.
Cases and Testing:
On January 24, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) labs completed 3,154 tests. An additional 492 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being reported.
There are 234 cases in Central Zone, 62 cases in Eastern Zone, 80 cases in Northern Zone and 116 cases in Western Zone.
As of today, there are an estimated 4,250 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.
Long-Term Care Outbreaks:
The Province is reporting two outbreaks in long-term care facilities:
–two residents and one staff member at Villa Acadienne in Meteghan
–two staff members at My Cape Breton Home for Seniors (Westmount) in Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
Public health is working with the facilities to prevent further spread. Increased public health measures and restrictions are in place.
Quick Facts:
— a state of emergency was declared under the Emergency Management Act on March 22, 2020, and has been extended to February 6, 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)
