N.S. reports 1 new COVID-19 related death Friday, 10 new hospital admissions

Nova Scotia reported one new death related to COVID-19 on Friday. The man in his 60s lived in the province's Western Zone.

"It's never easy to learn that another Nova Scotian lost their life because of this virus. I offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends grieving," said Premier Tim Houston in a news release.

"This has been a difficult week for our province. As we head into the weekend, please let this be a sad reminder to slow down your activities, minimize your contacts and follow the public health measures in place."

The province also reported 10 new hospital admissions and six discharges Friday.

There are 88 people in hospital who were admitted due to COVID-19 and are receiving specialized care in a COVID-19 designated unit.

Of the 88 people in hospital:

• 15 are in intensive care
• the age range is 35 to 100 years old
• the average age is 67
• the average length of stay of people admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 is 7.6 days
• 85 were admitted during the Omicron wave

The vaccination status of those in hospital is:

• 18 (20.5 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
• 52 (59.1 per cent) are fully vaccinated (two doses)
• one (1.1 per cent) is partially vaccinated
• 17 (19.3 per cent) are unvaccinated

Public health says there are also two other groups of people in hospital related to COVID-19:

• 104 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
• 130 people who contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital

VACCINATION UPDATE

Public health says 2,094,109 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered as of Thursday.

Of those, 91.1 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their first dose, and 83.5 per cent have received their second dose.

As well, 52.1 per cent of Nova Scotians 18 and older have received a booster dose, and 6.1 per cent have booked a booster dose appointment.

CASES AND TESTING

Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) labs completed 3,670 tests Thursday and the province reported 620 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday.

The number of new cases broken down by zone are as follows:

• 319 cases in Central Zone
• 97 cases in Eastern Zone
• 98 cases in Northern Zone
• 106 cases in Western Zone

Public health says there are an estimated 4,316 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.

HOSPITAL AND LONG-TERM CARE OUTBREAKS

Nova Scotia Health is reporting one new outbreak in a ward at the Halifax Infirmary site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre, where fewer than five patients have tested positive.

The health authority also announced additional cases related to outbreaks at three hospitals.

Those cases include:

• two additional patients in a ward at the Victoria General site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre, where fewer than 10 patients have tested positive
• one additional patient in a separate ward at the Halifax Infirmary site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre, where fewer than five patients have tested positive
• one additional patient in a ward at the Dartmouth General Hospital, where fewer than 10 patients have tested positive

The province also announced an outbreak at Victoria Manor – a long-term care facility in Amherst.

Public health says 21 residents and seven staff members at the home have tested positive for COVID-19.

"Public health is working with the facility to prevent further spread. Increased public health measures and restrictions are in place," states the province in the news release.