Nova Scotia reports 2 more deaths related to COVID-19 Tuesday

In this Jan. 31, 2021, file photo, pharmacist Diana Swiga fills a dead volume syringe with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, at a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination site at the Bronx River Houses Community Center, in the Bronx borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Nova Scotia health officials reported two more COVID-19 related deaths Tuesday.

Public health says the deaths involve:

• a woman in her 70s in the Central Zone
• a woman in her 90s in the Central Zone

"We have lost two more Nova Scotians to this virus, and I offer my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones grieving," said Premier Tim Houston in a news release Tuesday.

To date, Nova Scotia has reported 202 deaths related to the virus.

"As we move towards living with COVID, it is important Nova Scotians continue to use the tools we followed over the last two years that will limit the spread of this virus and protect those around us who are more vulnerable to severe disease. This includes wearing a mask in indoor public places, staying home and getting tested when you're sick, and following public health advice," Houston said.

There were also four new hospital admissions since Monday and two discharges.

Currently, there are 48 people in hospital who were admitted due to COVID-19 and are receiving specialized care in a COVID-19 designated unit.

Of the 48 in hospital:

• 11 are in intensive care
• the age range is from two to 92-years-old
• the median age is 62
• the average length of stay in hospital is 6.5 days
• 46 were admitted during the Omicron wave

The vaccination status of the 48 in hospital is as follows:

• 14 (29.2 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
• 20 (41.7 per cent) are fully vaccinated (two doses)
• one (2.1 per cent) is partially vaccinated
• 13 (27.1 per cent) are unvaccinated

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

• 125 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
• 163 people who contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital

VACCINE UPDATE

As of Monday, 2,213,398 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.

Of those, 92.1 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their first dose, and 86.7 per cent have received their second dose.

As well, 62.4 per cent of Nova Scotians 18 and older have received a booster dose, and 0.5 per cent have booked a booster dose appointment.

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

CASES AND TESTING

On Monday, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) labs completed 1,463 tests. An additional 217 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases were identified.

Of the new cases:

• 97 are in the Central Zone
• 33 are in the Eastern Zone
• 34 are in the Northern Zone
• 53 are in the Western Zone

As of Tuesday, Nova Scotia estimates there to be 2,031 active cases of COVID-19.

"There is still a lot of virus circulating in our communities, but we have the protection of vaccines and know what to do to protect ourselves and others - get vaccinated, practise good hygiene and stay home if you are feeling unwell," said Dr. Robert Strang, the province's chief medical officer of health.

Public health says it does expect an increase in COVID-19 cases being reported as the result of people with positive rapid tests being able to get a confirmatory PCR test again.

New cases will now show a greater proportion of the overall cases in the province.

The province did not announce any new outbreaks, or new cases connected to ongoing outbreaks, on Tuesday.