Three deaths related to COVID-19 and 10 new hospitalizations reported Monday

There are 91 people in hospital who were admitted due to COVID-19 and are receiving specialized care in a COVID-19 designated unit, including 12 in ICU

CityNews Halifax Staff

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NEWS RELEASE
COVID-19/HEALTH/WELLNESS
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COVID-19/HEALTH/WELLNESS–10 New Hospital Admissions, Six Discharges, Three Deaths
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Today, February 7, Nova Scotia is reporting 10 new hospital admissions and six discharges.

Nova Scotia is also reporting three deaths related to COVID-19:
— a woman in her 60s in Central Zone
— a woman in her 70s in Western Zone
— a woman in her 70s in Northern Zone,

“It’s extremely sad to hear we lost three more Nova Scotians this weekend from COVID-19. There is nothing anyone can say to comfort the families and friends who are grieving,” said Premier Tim Houston. “This virus continues to have devastating impacts for some. Please get vaccinated and follow the public health measures to protect yourself and those around you.”

There are 91 people in hospital who were admitted due to COVID-19 and are receiving specialized care in a COVID-19 designated unit. That includes 12 people in ICU. The age range of those in hospital is 4-97 years old. The average age is 65, and the average length of stay of people admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 is 7.9 days.

“Today, my thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of the three Nova Scotians who have lost their lives to this disease,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. “Getting vaccinated will help protect yourself and your loved ones. As we work towards easing restrictions, we must continue to work together, get vaccinated – whether it’s your first, second or booster dose – and follow the public health protocols.”

Of the 91 people in hospital, 84 were admitted during the Omicron wave.

The vaccination status of those in hospital is:
— 24 (26.4 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
— 39 (42.9 per cent)  are fully vaccinated (two doses)
— 1 (1.1 per cent) is partially vaccinated
— 27 (29.7 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:
— 137 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
— 146 people who contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital.

Vaccine Coverage:

As of February 6, 2,152,499 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 91.4 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their first dose, and 84.7 per cent have received their second dose.

As well, 57.7 per cent of Nova Scotians 18 and older have received a booster dose, and 3.5 per cent have booked a booster dose appointment.

Cases and Testing:

On February 6, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) labs completed 2,085 tests. An additional 313 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being reported.

There are 135 cases in Central Zone, 37 cases in Eastern Zone, 51 cases in Northern Zone and 90 cases in Western Zone.
From February 5 and 6, 31 of the 731 positive lab results were repeat positives.

As of today, there are an estimated 3,306 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.

Hospital Outbreaks:

NSHA is reporting additional cases related to the outbreaks in five hospitals:
— four additional patients in a ward at the Victoria General site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre; a total of 15 patients have now tested positive
— one additional patient in a ward at the Halifax Infirmary site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre; fewer than 10 patients have tested positive
— one additional patient in a ward at Dartmouth General Hospital; fewer than five patients have tested positive
— one additional patient in a ward at Aberdeen Hospital in New Glasgow; fewer than 10 patients have tested positive
— one additional patient in a ward at Northside General Hospital in North Sydney; fewer than 10 patients have tested positive.

Quick Facts:
— a state of emergency was declared under the Emergency Management Act on March 22, 2020, and has been extended to February 20, 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)