**** HEALTH/WELLNESS Media Release
15 New Hospital Admissions, 12 Discharges, Four Deaths
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Today, January 17, Nova Scotia is reporting 15 new hospital admissions and 12 discharges since the last update on January 14.
Nova Scotia is also reporting four deaths related to COVID-19:
— a man in his 40s in Central Zone
— a man is his 70s in Central Zone
— a man in his 80s in Eastern Zone
— a woman in her 90s in Central Zone.
“I’m saddened to learn that four more Nova Scotians lost their lives because of this virus, and I offer my deepest condolences to those grieving,” said Premier Tim Houston. “We need to stay vigilant and minimize non-essential activities to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our province. We all have a part to play. We can do this by getting vaccinated as soon as possible, following public health measures and reducing activities.”
There are 73 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 0-100 years old, the average age is 67 and the average length of stay of those admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 is six days.
Of the 73 people in hospital, 70 were admitted during the Omicron wave.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the four people who passed away,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. “COVID-19 is in every corner of our province. We need to work together and continue to follow the advice of public health to protect our healthcare system, long-term care homes and our most vulnerable Nova Scotians.”
The vaccination status of those in hospital is:
— 8 (11.0 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
— 45 (61.6 per cent) are fully vaccinated (two doses)
— 5 (6.8 per cent) are partially vaccinated
— 15 (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:
— 64 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
— 112 people who contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital.
Vaccine Coverage:
As of January 16, 1,950,167 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 90.6 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their first dose, and 83.1 per cent have received their second dose.
As well, 35.1 per cent of Nova Scotians 18 and older have received a booster dose and 11.6 per cent have booked a booster dose appointment.
Cases and Testing:
On January 16, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) labs completed 2,275 tests. An additional 495 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being reported.
There are 227 cases in Central Zone, 89 cases in Eastern Zone, 31 cases in Northern Zone and 148 cases in Western Zone.
From January 15 and 16, 44 of 1,323 positive lab results were repeat positives.
As of today, there are an estimated 5,736 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.
Hospital Outbreaks:
The NSHA is reporting a new outbreak in a ward at Valley Regional Hospital in Kentville. Fewer than 10 patients have tested positive.
NSHA is also reporting additional cases related to the outbreaks in four hospitals. The additional cases involved are:
— one additional patient in a ward at Northside General Hospital in North Sydney; fewer than 10 patients have tested positive
— one additional patient in a separate ward at Northside General Hospital; fewer than five patients have tested positive
— one additional patient in a separate ward at Northside General Hospital; fewer than 10 patients have tested positive
— one additional patient at Colchester East Hants Health Centre; fewer than 10 patients have tested positive.
All patients are being closely monitored and other infection prevention and control measures are being put in place. NSHA will provide a further update when more information is available.
Quick Facts:
— a state of emergency was declared under the Emergency Management Act on March 22, 2020, and has been extended to January 23, 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)
