N.S. announces 12 hospitalizations and nine discharges due to COVID-19 Tuesday

Health officials in Nova Scotia are reporting 12 new hospitalizations and nine discharges related to COVID-19 on Tuesday.

According to a press release from the province, there are 91 people in hospital who were admitted due to COVID-19 and are receiving specialized care in the designated COVID-19 unit, including 14 people in intensive care.

Of the 91 people in hospital:

• 21 (23.1 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
•  The average age is 65
• The age range of those in hospital is zero to 97 years old
• The average length of hospital stay is 8.3 days
• 87 were admitted to hospital during the Omicron wave
• 21 (23.1 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
• 1 (1.1 per cent) is partially vaccinated
• 33 (36.3 per cent) are unvaccinated

Officials say it is important to note that less than 10 per cent of Nova Scotians are unvaccinated.

There are also more than 272 other people in hospital who have COVID-19:

• 142 people who contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital
• 130 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

Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Lisa Barret says hospitalizations have plateaued, as well as the positivity rate in the community. However, she adds that neither have gone down.

"If we’re going to make changes, small forward steps is a reasonable way to do that and keeping a measurement going so we know when we’ve gone too far," she said.

VACCINE UPDATE

As of Monday, 2,157,384 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 91.5 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their first dose, and 84.8 per cent have received their second dose.

As well, 58.1 per cent of Nova Scotians 18 and older have received a booster dose, and 3.2 per cent have booked a booster dose appointment.

CASES AND TESTING

On Monday, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) labs completed 2,020 tests. An additional 219 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being reported.

Of Tuesday’s cases:

• 81 are in the Central Zone
• 46 are in the Eastern Zone
• 41 are in the Northern Zone
• 51 cases are in the Western Zone

As of Tuesday, there are an estimated 3,132 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.

HOSPITAL AND LONG-TERM CARE OUTBREAKS

NSHA is reporting one new outbreak, at Cape Breton Regional Hospital. Fewer than five patients have tested positive

The health authority is reporting additional cases related to the outbreaks in two hospitals:

• One additional patient in a ward at the Victoria General site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre where a total of 16 patients have now tested positive.
• One additional patient in a ward at Digby General Hospital where fewer than 10 patients have tested positive.

The province is reporting one outbreak in a long-term care facility. Two residents and six staff members have tested positive at Tideview Terrace in Conway, N.S.

The province said public health is working with the facilities to prevent further spread.