**** HEALTH/WELLNESS Media Release
Five New Hospital Admissions, Two Discharges, Two Deaths
——————————————————–
NOTE: Nova Scotia is not issuing COVID-19 news releases or updating the COVID-19 data dashboard on weekends. The next update will be on Monday, February 28.
——————————————————
Today, February 25, Nova Scotia is reporting five new hospital admissions and two discharges.
Nova Scotia is also reporting two deaths related to COVID-19:
— a woman in her 80s in Eastern Zone
— a man in his 80s in Eastern Zone.
“I want to extend my condolences to the families and friends grieving the loss of their loved ones,” said Premier Tim Houston. “We must continue to work together by getting vaccinated, staying home if sick and following the public health protocols in place as we work our way through the reopening plan.”
There are 44 people in hospital who were admitted due to COVID-19 and are receiving specialized care in a COVID-19 designated unit. That includes 11 people in ICU. The age range of those in hospital is 0 to 96 years old. The median age is 67, and the median length of stay of people admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 is 6.5 days.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the two Nova Scotians who passed away,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. “I continue to ask for people’s patience, understanding and co-operation. COVID-19 is still circulating in our communities. As we move to living with COVID, please continue to practise good hygiene, stay home if you are feeling unwell and get vaccinated whether it’s your first, second or booster dose.”
Of the 44 people in hospital, 41 were admitted during the Omicron wave.
The vaccination status of those in hospital is:
— 15 (34.1 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
— 19 (43.2 per cent) are fully vaccinated (two doses)
— 1 (2.3 per cent) is partially vaccinated
— 9 (20.5 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:
— 126 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
— 165 people who contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital.
Vaccine Coverage:
As of February 24, 2,210,140 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 92.1 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their first dose, and 86.6 per cent have received their second dose.
As well, 62.1 per cent of Nova Scotians 18 and older have received a booster dose, and 0.7 per cent have booked a booster dose appointment.
Cases and Testing:
On February 24, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) labs completed 1,861 tests. An additional 170 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being reported.
There are 64 cases in Central Zone, 42 cases in Eastern Zone, 25 cases in Northern Zone and 39 cases in Western Zone.
As of today, there are an estimated 1,888 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.
Hospital and Long-Term Care Outbreaks:
NSHA is reporting additional cases related to the outbreaks in three hospitals:
— four additional patients in a ward at Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital; fewer than 10 patients have now tested positive
— one additional patient in a ward at Sutherland Harris Memorial Hospital in Pictou; fewer than 10 patients have tested positive
— one additional patient in a ward at Cape Breton Regional Hospital; fewer than 10 patients have tested positive.
The Province is reporting one outbreak in a long-term care facility. Three residents have tested positive at Debert Court Continuing Care Residence in Debert. Public health is working with the facility 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 March 6, 2022
Additional Resources:
More information on COVID-19 case data, testing and vaccines is available at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/data/
Nova Scotians can find accurate, up-to-date information on the Province’s response to COVID-19 at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus
Information on current provincewide restrictions and other public health measures to help slow the spread of COVID-19 is available at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/restrictions-and-guidance/
Information on Nova Scotia’s three-phase reopening plan, which started February 14, is available at: https://novascotia.ca/reopening-plan/
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)
