N.S. reports 59 people in hospital due to COVID-19 Thursday, three new outbreaks at hospitals

An additional five people have been admitted to hospital in Nova Scotia due to COVID-19 and five other individuals have been discharged.

As of Thursday, public health says there are 59 people in hospital who were admitted due to COVID-19 and are receiving specialized care in a COVID-19 designated unit.

Of those in hospital:

• seven are in intensive care
• the average age is 67
• 59 people were admitted during the Omicron wave

Health officials say the average length of stay for those admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 in Nova Scotia is six days.

The vaccination status of those in hospital is:

• seven (11.9 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
• 31 (52.5 per cent) are fully vaccinated (two doses)
• three (5.1 per cent) are partially vaccinated
• 18 (30.5 per cent) are unvaccinated

As of Thursday, less than 10 per cent of Nova Scotians are unvaccinated.

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

• 46 people who were identified as positive upon arrival to hospital but were admitted for another medical reason, or people who were admitted for COVID-19 but no longer require specialized care.
• 102 people who contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital.

VACCINE UPDATE

As of Wednesday, Jan. 12, 1,906,023 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.

Of those, 90.3 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their first dose, and 83 per cent have received their second dose.

To date, health officials say 33 per cent of eligible Nova Scotians have received a booster dose and 18 per cent have booked a booster dose appointment.

CASES AND TESTING

On Wednesday, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) labs completed 4,436 tests.

Public health also identified an additional 542 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Of the new cases:

• 271 are in the Central zone
• 130 are in the Eastern zone
• 42 are in the Northern zone
• 99 are in the Western zone

As of Thursday, Nova Scotia estimates there are 6,620 active COVID-19 cases in the province.

HOSPITAL OUTBREAKS

Nova Scotia Health (NSHA) is reporting three new outbreaks at hospitals in the province.

Those outbreaks were identified at:

• Northside General Hospital in North Sydney
• two separate wards at Colchester East Hants Health Centre in Truro

The health authority says fewer than 10 patients at each facility have tested positive.

NSHA is also reporting additional cases related to the outbreaks in six hospitals.

The additional cases involved are:

• one additional patient at Dartmouth General Hospital; fewer than five patients have tested positive
• one additional patient in a ward at New Waterford Consolidated Hospital; fewer than 10 patients have tested positive
• one additional patient in a separate ward at New Waterford Consolidated Hospital; a total of 15 patients have now tested positive
• one additional patient in a separate ward at Northside General Hospital; a total of 11 patients have now tested positive
• one additional patient in a separate ward at Northside General Hospital; 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

 "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," reads a release from public health.

COVID ALERT APP

Canada’s COVID Alert app is available in Nova Scotia.

The app, which can be downloaded through the Apple App Store or Google Play, notifies users if they may have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

LIST OF SYMPTOMS

Anyone who experiences a new or worsening cough, or who has two or more of the following symptoms, needs to self-isolate and take an online COVID-19 self-assessment test, or call 811, to determine if they need to be tested for COVID-19:

• fever (chills, sweats)
• sore throat
• headache
• shortness of breath
• runny nose/nasal congestion