**** HEALTH/WELLNESS Media Release
13 New Hospital Admissions, Four Discharges, One Death
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Today, February 1, Nova Scotia is reporting 13 new hospital admissions and four discharges.
Nova Scotia is also reporting one death related to COVID-19. A man in his 80s in Central Zone has died.
“It is difficult to hear that another Nova Scotian has died from COVID-19. I extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends who are grieving,” said Premier Tim Houston. “While our case numbers are declining, we cannot forget there are 95 Nova Scotians in hospital battling this virus. They are in my thoughts. Please get vaccinated as soon as you can whether it’s your first, second, or booster dose, and follow the public health measures in place to protect yourself, the healthcare system, and your communities.”
There are 95 people in hospital who were admitted due to COVID-19 and are receiving specialized care in a COVID-19 designated unit. That includes 13 people in ICU. The age range of those in hospital is 1-97 years old. The average age is 68, and the average length of stay of people admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 is 7.7 days.
“My thoughts and prayers are with those who are grieving,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. “We have been at this for a long time now, and I know people are getting tired, but we cannot become complacent. Please get vaccinated, slow down your activities and follow the public health measures in place.”
Of the 95 people in hospital, 90 were admitted during the Omicron wave.
The vaccination status of those in hospital is:
— 23 (24.2 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
— 50 (52.6 per cent) are fully vaccinated (two doses)
— 0 (0 per cent) partially vaccinated
— 22 (23.2 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:
— 115 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
— 135 people who contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital.
Vaccine Coverage:
As of January 31, 2,115,274 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 91.2 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their first dose, and 83.8 per cent have received their second dose.
As well, 54.2 per cent of Nova Scotians 18 and older have received a booster dose, and 5.3 per cent have booked a booster dose appointment.
Cases and Testing:
On January 31, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) labs completed 2,621 tests. An additional 274 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being reported.
There are 103 cases in Central Zone, 76 cases in Eastern Zone, 50 cases in Northern Zone and 45 cases in Western Zone.
As of today, there are an estimated 3,630 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.
Hospital Outbreaks:
NSHA is reporting one new outbreak, at Valley Regional Hospital in Kentville. Fewer than five patients have tested positive.
NSHA is also reporting additional cases related to the outbreaks in two hospitals:
— two additional patients in a ward at Digby General Hospital; fewer than 10 patients have tested positive
— one additional patient in a ward at the Halifax Infirmary site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre; fewer than 10 patients have tested positive.
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)
