**** HEALTH/WELLNESS Media Release
Four New Hospital Admissions, Two Discharges, Two Deaths
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Today, March 1, Nova Scotia is reporting four new hospital admissions and two discharges.
Nova Scotia is also reporting two deaths related to COVID-19:
— a woman in her 70s in Central Zone
— a woman in her 90s in Central Zone.
“We have lost two more Nova Scotians to this virus, and I offer my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones grieving,” said Premier Tim Houston. “As we move towards living with COVID, it is important Nova Scotians continue to use the tools we followed over the last two years that will limit the spread of this virus and protect those around us who are more vulnerable to severe disease. This includes wearing a mask in indoor public places, staying home and getting tested when you’re sick, and following public health advice.”
There are 48 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 two to 92 years old. The median age is 62, and the median length of stay of people admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 is 6.5 days.
“My sincerest condolences to the families and friends of the two women who passed,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. “There is still a lot of virus circulating in our communities, but we have the protection of vaccines and know what to do to protect ourselves and others – get vaccinated, practise good hygiene and stay home if you are feeling unwell.”
Of the 48 people in hospital, 46 were admitted during the Omicron wave.
The vaccination status of those in hospital is:
— 14 (29.2 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
— 20 (41.7 per cent) are fully vaccinated (two doses)
— 1 (2.1 per cent) is partially vaccinated
— 13 (27.1 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:
— 125 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
— 163 people who contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital.
Vaccine Coverage:
As of February 28, 2,213,398 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 92.1 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their first dose, and 86.7 per cent have received their second dose.
As well, 62.4 per cent of Nova Scotians 18 and older have received a booster dose, and 0.5 per cent have booked a booster dose appointment.
Cases and Testing:
On February 28, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) labs completed 1,463 tests. An additional 217 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being reported.
There are 97 cases in Central Zone, 33 cases in Eastern Zone, 34 cases in Northern Zone and 53 cases in Western Zone.
There will be an increase in new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported because of a change in testing protocol announced last week. People with positive rapid test results are now able to get a confirmatory PCR lab test.
As of today, there are an estimated 2,031 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.
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)
