**** HEALTH/WELLNESS Media Release
10 New Hospital Admissions, Four Discharges, Four Deaths
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Today, February 3, Nova Scotia is reporting 10 new hospital admissions and four discharges.
Nova Scotia is also reporting four deaths related to COVID-19:
— a woman in her 60s in Central Zone
— a woman in her 80s in Central Zone
— a woman in her 90s in Central Zone
— a man in his 90s in Eastern Zone.
“This has been a tragic year so far. The hearts of all Nova Scotians are with the families and friends who are grieving the loss of loved ones,” said Premier Tim Houston. “It is important that we work together as a province. Please get vaccinated and continue to follow the public health restrictions in place. By doing this, we can help prevent more Nova Scotians from having to experience such grief.”
There are 97 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 1-100 years old. The average age is 66, and the average length of stay of people admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 is 7.9 days.
“It is difficult to hear that four more families have suffered the loss of a loved one today,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. “The Omicron variant continues to have devastating impacts on our most vulnerable Nova Scotians. The best thing you can do to protect yourself and others is to get vaccinated – with your primary series and booster dose when you are eligible.”
Of the 97 people in hospital, 92 were admitted during the Omicron wave.
The vaccination status of those in hospital is:
— 25 (25.8 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
— 45 (46.4 per cent) are fully vaccinated (two doses)
— 1 (1 per cent) is partially vaccinated
— 26 (26.8 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:
— 120 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
— 134 people who contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital.
Vaccine Coverage:
As of February 2, 2,136,107 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 91.3 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their first dose, and 84.3 per cent have received their second dose.
As well, 56.2 per cent of Nova Scotians 18 and older have received a booster dose, and four per cent have booked a booster dose appointment.
Cases and Testing:
On February 2, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) labs completed 3,922 tests. An additional 401 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being reported.
There are 176 cases in Central Zone, 55 cases in Eastern Zone, 59 cases in Northern Zone and 111 cases in Western Zone.
As of today, there are an estimated 3,647 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.
Hospital and Long-Term Care Outbreaks:
NSHA is reporting one additional case related to the outbreak at the Halifax Infirmary site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre. Fewer than 10 patients have tested positive.
The Province is reporting two outbreaks in long-term care facilities:
— one resident and two staff have tested positive at Gables Lodge in Amherst
— three staff members have tested positive at Victoria Haven in Glace Bay.
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)
