N.S. reports three new deaths related to COVID-19 Thursday, 269 in hospital

Nova Scotia health officials reported three new deaths related to COVID-19 on Thursday.

Public health says the deaths involve:

• a woman in her 50s in the Central zone
• a woman in her 70s in the Northern zone
• a man in his 70s in the Eastern zone

"This virus has taken three more Nova Scotians, and I'm devastated for the families and friends they are leaving behind," said Premier Tim Houston. "Everyone needs to take the Omicron wave seriously and work together to protect our most vulnerable Nova Scotians, our health-care system and communities."

According to the province's COVID-19 online dashboard, there have been 128 deaths related to COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the three people who passed away," said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health. "The Omicron wave is different than those we encountered over the last two years, but there is no question that the virus is having very severe impacts on some people. Please do your part to prevent another loss. Follow restrictions and get your vaccine - whether it's your first, second or booster dose."

Nova Scotia health officials say there are a total of 269 people in hospital with COVID-19 on Thursday.

In a release, public health says 85 of those in hospital were admitted due to COVID-19 and are receiving specialized care in a COVID-19 designated unit.

Of the 85 in hospital:

• 12 are in intensive care
•  the age range is zero to 100 years old
• the average age is 68
• the average length of stay of those admitted to hospital in Nova Scotia due to COVID-19 is 6.8 days
• 81 were admitted during the Omicron wave

The vaccination status of the 85 people who were admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 is as follows:

• 10 (11.8 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
• 53 (62.4 per cent) are fully vaccinated (two doses)
• four (4.7 per cent) are partially vaccinated
• 18 (21.2 per cent) are unvaccinated

Public health says there are also an additional:

• 72 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
• 112 people who contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital

Since Wednesday, there have been 18 new hospital admissions in Nova Scotia and 11 discharges.

"It is important to note that less than 10 per cent of Nova Scotians are unvaccinated," reads a release from public health on Thursday.

VACCINE UPDATE

As of Jan. 19, 1,998,064 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.

Of those, 90.7 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their first dose, and 83.2 per cent have received their second dose.

As well, 40.6 per cent of Nova Scotians aged 18 and older have received a booster dose and 9.8 per cent have booked a booster dose appointment.

CASES AND TESTING

On Wednesday, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) labs completed 4,402 tests. An additional 696 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being reported.

There are an estimated 5,430 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia and the numbers by zone are as follows:

• 382 cases in the Central zone
• 95 cases in the Eastern zone
• 63 cases in the Northern zone
• 156 cases in the Western zone

The province did not provide the number of recoveries on Thursday.

HOSPITAL OUTBREAKS

The NSHA is reporting additional cases related to outbreaks at two hospitals.

Those cases include:

• three additional patients in a ward at Cape Breton Regional Hospital, where fewer than 10 patients have tested positive
• one additional patient in a ward at Valley Regional Hospital, where fewer than 10 patients have tested positive

The province is also reporting a new outbreak at Taigh Ne Mara, a nursing home in Glace Bay.

The province says one staff and one resident at the facility have tested positive for the virus.

"Public health is working with the facilities to prevent further spread. Increased public health measures and restrictions are in place," wrote public health in a release.

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