10 New Hospital Admissions, Nine Discharges, Three Deaths

Today, January 31, Nova Scotia is reporting 10 new hospital admissions and nine discharges.

Nova Scotia is also reporting three deaths related to COVID-19:

• a man in his 70s in Central Zone
• a woman in her 70s in Western Zone
• a man in his 80s in Western Zone.

“It truly saddens me to have to report the loss of three more Nova Scotians. My thoughts are with their families and loved ones as they navigate through this tremendously difficult time,” said Premier Tim Houston. “I hope they find some comfort in the warmth extended to them by their neighbours and fellow Nova Scotians. And I hope that Nova Scotians continue to come together and do all we can to prevent this from happening to another family.”

There are 93 people in hospital who were admitted due to COVID-19 and are receiving specialized care in a COVID-19 designated unit. That includes 15 people in ICU. The age range of those in hospital is 1-100 years old. The average age is 68, and the average length of stay of people admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 is 7.6 days.

“Today, we are extending our sympathies to the family and friends of three more Nova Scotians who have lost their lives to this disease,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. “I know that Nova Scotians are tired, but let this remind us all of how important it is that we remain diligent and follow public health measures so that no other family has to endure this loss.”

Of the 93 people in hospital, 89 were admitted during the Omicron wave.

The vaccination status of those in hospital is:

• 18 (19.4 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
• 54 (58.1 per cent) are fully vaccinated (two doses)
• 1 (1.1 per cent) is partially vaccinated
• 20 (21.5 per cent) are unvaccinated.

It is important to note that less than 10 per cent of Nova Scotians are unvaccinated.

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

• 116 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
• 142 people who contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital.

Vaccine Coverage:

As of January 30, 2,107,431 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 91.2 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their first dose, and 83.7 per cent have received their second dose.

As well, 53.5 per cent of Nova Scotians 18 and older have received a booster dose, and 5.7 per cent have booked a booster dose appointment.

Cases and Testing:

On January 30, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) labs completed 1,721 tests. An additional 256 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being reported.

There are 98 cases in Central Zone, 70 cases in Eastern Zone, 35 cases in Northern Zone and 53 cases in Western Zone.

From January 29 and 30, 31 of the 928 positive lab results were repeat positives.

As of today, there are an estimated 3,913 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.

Hospital Outbreaks:

NSHA is reporting two new outbreaks in hospitals – at Hants Community Hospital in Windsor and Dartmouth General Hospital. Fewer than five patients at each facility have tested positive.

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

• four additional patients in a ward at the Victoria General site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre; a total of 10 patients have now tested positive
• two additional patients in a ward at Digby General Hospital; fewer than 10 patients have tested positive
• one additional patient in a ward at Valley Regional Hospital in Kentville; fewer than 10 patients have tested positive
• one additional patient in a ward at the Halifax Infirmary site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre; fewer than five patients have tested positive.

Quick Facts:

• a state of emergency was declared under the Emergency Management Act on March 22, 2020, and has been extended to February 6, 2022

Additional Resources:

Nova Scotians can find accurate, up-to-date information, handwashing posters and fact sheets at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus

Information on provincewide restrictions that took effect December 22 and other public health measures to help slow the spread of COVID-19 is available at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/restrictions-and-guidance/

More information on COVID-19 case data, testing and vaccines is available at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/data/

More information about public health text notifications of positive COVID-19 cases and close contacts is available here: https://www.nshealth.ca/news/public-health-notifying-positive-covid-19-cases-text-advising-notify-close-contacts

Government of Canada: https://canada.ca/coronavirus or 1-833-784-4397 (toll-free)