N.S. reports five new COVID-19 related hospital admissions Thursday, six discharges

Health officials in Nova Scotia are reporting five new hospital admissions related to COVID-19 on Thursday, along with six discharges.

Public health says there were 46 people in hospital Thursday who were admitted due to COVID-19 and are receiving specialized care in a COVID-19 designated unit. That number is down from 49 people on Wednesday.

Of the 46 in hospital:

• 12 are in intensive care
• the age range is from zero to 96-years-old
• the median age is 67
• the average length of stay in hospital is 6.5 days
• 43 were admitted during the Omicron wave

The vaccination status of the 46 in hospital is as follows:

• 13 (28.3 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
• 22 (47.8 per cent) are fully vaccinated (two doses)
• None are partially vaccinated
• 11 (23.9 per cent) are unvaccinated

There are also two other groups of people in hospital who have COVID-19:

• 134 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
• 170 people who contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital

Nova Scotia is not reporting any additional deaths related to COVID-19 on Thursday.

VACCINE UPDATE

As of Wednesday, 2,208,080 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.

Of those, 92.1 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their first dose, and 86.5 per cent have received their second dose.

As well, 62 per cent of Nova Scotians 18 and older have received a booster dose, and 0.7 per cent have booked a booster dose appointment.

Public health says as of Thursday, less than 10 per cent of Nova Scotians are unvaccinated.

CASES AND TESTING

On Wednesday, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) labs completed 1,826 tests. An additional 187 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being reported.

Of those cases:

• 65 are in the Central Zone
• 43 are in the Eastern Zone
• 49 are in the Northern Zone
• 30 are in the Western Zone

As of Thursday, Nova Scotia estimates there to be 1,903 active cases of COVID-19.

OUTBREAK UPDATE

A new COVID-19 outbreak is being reported in a ward at Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital, where fewer than five patients have tested positive.

NSHA is also reporting additional cases related to the outbreaks in four hospitals:

• two additional patients in a separate ward at Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital; fewer than 10 patients have now tested positive
• two additional patients in a ward at Sutherland Harris Memorial Hospital in Pictou; fewer than 10 patients have tested positive
• one additional patient in a ward at Cape Breton Regional Hospital; 11 patients have now tested positive
• one additional patient in a separate ward at Cape Breton Regional Hospital; fewer than 10 patients have tested positive