**** HEALTH/WELLNESS Media Release
10 New Hospital Admissions, 10 Discharges, Six Deaths
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Today, February 2, Nova Scotia is reporting 10 new hospital admissions and 10 discharges.
Nova Scotia is also reporting six deaths related to COVID-19:
— a woman in her 60s in Central Zone
— two women in their 70s in Central Zone
— two women in their 80s in Central Zone
— a woman in her 100s in Western Zone.
“I am devastated to learn that this virus has taken six more Nova Scotians. It’s unthinkable and I feel for their families and loved ones,” said Premier Tim Houston. “There are people who are more vulnerable to this virus even if they are vaccinated. Together we can help protect them by being vaccinated ourselves. I want to thank the many Nova Scotians who have gotten vaccinated and, to those who haven’t – please let this be a good enough reason to take that step and get it done.”
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 13 people in ICU. The age range of those in hospital is 1-96 years old. The average age is 66, and the average length of stay of people admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 is eight days.
“This is another extremely sad day and I send my sympathies to the loved ones of the six Nova Scotians who died,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. “We must never forget that COVID-19 is all around us, and that is why it is so important to get vaccinated and follow the public health measures in place to prevent further illness and death from this virus.”
Of the 92 people in hospital, 88 were admitted during the Omicron wave.
The vaccination status of those in hospital is:
— 23 (25.0 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
— 47 (51.1 per cent) are fully vaccinated (two doses)
— 1 (1.1 per cent) is partially vaccinated
— 21 (22.8 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:
— 119 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
— 136 people who contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital.
Vaccine Coverage:
As of February 1, 2,125,129 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 91.3 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their first dose, and 84 per cent have received their second dose.
As well, 55.2 per cent of Nova Scotians 18 and older have received a booster dose, and 4.7 per cent have booked a booster dose appointment.
Cases and Testing:
On February 1, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) labs completed 3,093 tests. An additional 395 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being reported.
There are 154 cases in Central Zone, 58 cases in Eastern Zone, 73 cases in Northern Zone and 110 cases in Western Zone.
As of today, there are an estimated 3,632 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.
Hospital and Long-Term Care Outbreaks:
NSHA is reporting one new outbreak at Aberdeen Hospital in New Glasgow. 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 Cape Breton Regional Hospital; fewer than 10 patients have tested positive
— one additional patient in a ward at the Victoria General site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre; 11 patients have now tested positive.
The Province is reporting two outbreaks in long-term care facilities:
— two residents at Valley View Villa in Stellarton
— 10 staff members at Harbour View Haven in Lunenburg.
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)
