N.S. reports 1,020 COVID-19 cases on Monday, expands booster eligibility to 30 and older

HALIFAX -

Nova Scotia reported 1,020 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, as the province expanded eligibility for COVID-19 booster shots to include anyone 30 years of age and older.

Public health says of Monday’s new cases, 664 are in the Central Zone, 120 in the Eastern Zone, 104 new cases in the Northern Zone and 132 cases in the Western Zone.

The province says 36 people are in hospital with the virus, four of those individuals are in intensive care.

Since the Omicron variant was first identified in the province, public health says 31 people have been admitted to hospital with the virus, the remaining five cases were in hospital before Omicron arrived to N.S.

During a COVID-19 update on Monday, Premier Tim Houston said people between the ages of 19 to 98 are in hospital in with virus, with the average age being 72.

He added that 77.8 per cent of individuals in hospital with COVID-19 are vaccinated to some degree.

Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said he wasn’t surprised by the number of new cases.  He said the increase is likely due to gatherings over the holidays.

The province’s top doctor added that they are watching the number of hospitalizations very closely, and compared to the number of COVID-19 cases, the hospitalization rate is climbing at a much lower rate, while ICU numbers remain low and stable, which is a positive sign, he said.

Public health says it is experiencing delays in follow-ups because of a spike in testing and positive cases. The province says all cases should contact their close contacts.

Nova Scotia will update its online dashboard on Tuesday, Jan. 4.

BOOSTER ELIGIBILITY EXPANDED

Individuals 30 years of age and older are able eligible to book their COVID-19 booster dose as of Monday morning.

Houston said 92,000 vaccine appointments opened overnight and as of Monday afternoon they were nearly all booked, but the premier said more appointments are coming soon.

The province says booster doses are administered at least 168 days after the primary series.

People who received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine or the one-dose Janssen vaccine are still eligible to schedule a booster dose of mRNA vaccine.

Nova Scotia recommends that people under the age of 30 receive the Pfizer vaccine because they say recent evidence shows an increased risk of myocarditis/pericarditis in young adults from the Moderna vaccine compared to Pfizer.

HOSPITALS INCREASE VISITOR RESTRICTIONS

On Sunday, tighter visitor restrictions were implemented at every inpatient site in the province's Central zone due to rising COVID-19 cases and outbreaks.

Inpatients at hospitals located within the Central zone can now only have one consistent visitor.

Public health says exceptions can be made in the following circumstances:

• palliative care and other patients nearing end of life
• patients receiving medical assistance in dying
• children under 18 seeking treatment and/or admitted to hospital 
• outpatients, including patients arriving at the hospital for emergency and ambulatory care clinics, appointments or procedures who need support to receive care due to physical, intellectual, cognitive and emotional conditions
• patients requiring support for critical treatment decisions such as organ transplantation, initiation of hemodialysis, and at the discretion of the clinical team.

Hospital inpatient sites within the Central zone includes:

• QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax
• Dartmouth General Hospital in Dartmouth
• Twin Oaks Memorial Hospital in Musquodoboit Harbour
• Musquodoboit Valley Memorial Hospital in Musquodoboit
• Eastern Shore Memorial Hospital in Sheet Harbour
• Hants Community Hospital in Windsor
• East Coast Forensic Hospital in Dartmouth
• Nova Scotia Hospital in Dartmouth
• Cobequid Community Health Centre in Lower Sackville

On Friday, the Colchester East Hants Health Centre in Truro, N.S. imposed the same visitor restrictions, however, they are also allowed an exception for labour and birth.

“Nova Scotia Health sincerely apologizes to patients and their families for temporarily tightening visitor restrictions at this time," wrote the health authority in a news release on Sunday.

Other Nova Scotia hospitals that have also imposed tighter visitor restrictions include:

• Guysborough Memorial Hospital in Guysborough
• Glace Bay Hospital in Glace Bay
• Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital in Inverness
• St. Martha's RegionalHospital in Antigonish