Nova Scotia reported on Thursday that one more person with COVID-19 has died.
In a release, the province said a woman in her 80s in the Central Zone had died. She is the 167th person with COVID-19 to die in Nova Scotia and the 56th since the Omicron wave began on Dec. 8.
“This pandemic has taken so much, but the families who will never see or hug their loved one again have suffered the most,” said Premier Tim Houston in the release.
“We’re starting to ease restrictions, but we still need to be cautious and take steps to protect ourselves and others. Please continue to follow the public health measures as we work towards living with COVID-19.”
Another 10 people have been hospitalized since the last update on Wednesday and eight people have been discharged. There are now 90 people in hospital who were admitted due to COVID-19 and are receiving specialized care in a COVID-19 designated unit, including 11 people in ICU.
Ages of those hospitalized range between 0 and 100 years old, with a median age of 65. The median length of stay is six days.
“Starting today, to more accurately represent hospitalization data, the releases will use medians to report two figures: the length of stay and age of those in hospital,” the release said.
“Previously, the mean, or average, was used to report this data. However, because some people are in hospital for a long stay, in some cases waiting to be discharged to another facility, using median is more accurate.”
The vaccination status of those in hospital is:
- 24 (26.7 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine;
- 34 (37.8 per cent) are fully vaccinated with two doses;
- Nobody is partially vaccinated;
- 32 (35.6 per cent) are unvaccinated.
“It is important to note that less than 10 per cent of Nova Scotians are unvaccinated,” the province said in a release.
In addition to the 90 people in hospital due to COVID-19, another 129 people 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.
A further 143 people contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital.
The province also reported another 395 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19. Nova Scotia Health labs completed 2,931 tests on Wednesday. There are 143 cases in the Central Zone, 64 in the Eastern Zone, 49 in the Northern Zone and 109 in the Western Zone.
There are an estimated 3,306 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.
According to the province, 91 per cent of Nova Scotians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 85.2 per cent have received their second dose. As well, 59.2 per cent of Nova Scotians aged 18 and up have received a booster dose and 2.4 per cent have booked a booster dose appointment.
Hospital, long-term care outbreaks
Nova Scotia Health also reported three new outbreaks: one at a hospital and two in long-term care facilities.
The release said there is an outbreak at Cumberland Regional Health Centre in Amherst, where fewer than five patients have tested positive.
There are also new cases related to outbreaks in two hospitals: six more patients have tested positive in a ward at Digby Regional Hospital, for a total of 14, and two more patients have tested positive in a ward at Aberdeen Hospital in New Glasgow, for a total of 10 patients.
As well, the health authority has declared outbreaks at Townsview Estates in Truro, where three residents and one staff member have tested positive, and at Bay Side Home in Barrington, where four residents and five staff members have tested positive.
“Public health is working with the facilities to prevent further spread,” the release said. “Increased public health measures and restrictions are in place.”
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