Nova Scotia reports one COVID-19 related death Tuesday, 13 new hospital admissions

Nova Scotia health officials reported one death related to COVID-19 on Tuesday, involving a woman in her 80s in the Eastern zone.

"This is another very sad day and I send my sympathies to the family and loved ones of the woman who has passed," said Premier Tim Houston.

"Now is the time to buckle down. I ask all Nova Scotians to do everything you can to keep COVID-19 out of our health-care system, long-term care facilities and our communities. This means slowing down activities, reducing contacts, getting vaccinated and getting your booster as soon as possible and following all of the public health measures."

The province also reported 13 new hospital admissions and eight discharges Tuesday. There are a total of 73 people in hospital who were admitted due to COVID-19 and are receiving specialized care in a COVID-19 designated unit, including 15 people in intensive care.

Of those in hospital:

• the age range is 0 – 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 6.4 days
• 70 were admitted during the Omicron wave

The vaccination status of those in hospital is:

• 10 (13.7 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
• 43 (58.9 per cent) are fully vaccinated (two doses)
• four (5.5 per cent) are partially vaccinated
• 16 (21.9 per cent) are unvaccinated

“It is important to note that less than 10 per cent of Nova Scotians are unvaccinated,” reads a release from the province.

There are also two other groups of people in hospital related to COVID-19:

• 63 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.
• 120 people who contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital.

VACCINE UPDATE

As of Jan. 17, 1,963,429 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 90.6 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their first dose, and 83.1 per cent have received their second dose.

As well, 36.7 per cent of Nova Scotians aged 18 and older have received a booster dose and 12.1 per cent have booked a booster dose appointment.

CASES AND TESTING

On Jan. 17, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) labs completed 3,465 tests. An additional 415 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being reported.

There are an estimated 5,511 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia, the numbers by zone are as follows:

• 233 cases in Central zone
• 68 cases in Eastern zone
• 40 cases in Northern zone
• 74 cases in Western zone

  HOSPITAL OUTBREAKS  

The NSHA is reporting two new outbreaks in hospitals, at Yarmouth Regional Hospital and Sutherland Harris Memorial Hospital in Pictou. Fewer than 10 patients at each facility have tested positive.

NSHA is also reporting one additional case related to the outbreak in a ward at Northside General Hospital in North Sydney. Fewer than 10 patients have tested positive.

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