Six New Hospital Admissions, Four Discharges, Seven Deaths

Today, February 28, Nova Scotia is reporting six new hospital admissions and four discharges.

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

• a man in his 30s in Central Zone
• a man in his 60s in Central Zone
• a woman in her 60s in Northern Zone
• a man in his 70s in Northern Zone
• a man in his 80s in Northern Zone
• two women in their 80s in Central Zone.

Data on deaths comes from Panorama, public health’s disease information system. It is entered into the system only after the death is identified to be COVID-related, which can take days or weeks to investigate and report. The majority of data on deaths is reflective of virus activity in the past, at the point of infection, and not the situation today, at the point of reporting.

“Too many Nova Scotians have lost their lives because of this virus and my heart goes out to the families and loved ones left behind,” said Premier Tim Houston. “We know this virus can have devastating impacts. As we loosen restrictions, I ask Nova Scotians to be very mindful of their own health and take steps to protect yourself and those around you. Most importantly, stay home when you’re sick and follow public health advice for testing and isolation.”

There are 45 people in hospital who were admitted due to COVID-19 and are receiving specialized care in a COVID-19 designated unit. That includes 10 people in ICU. The age range of those in hospital is five to 92 years old. The median age is 59, and the median length of stay of people admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 is 6.6 days.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the Nova Scotians who have passed away,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. “As we move towards living with COVID, it is important everyone understands Nova Scotia continues to see new cases. Please continue to get vaccinated if you haven’t already, stay home if you are feeling unwell, and follow the public health protocols in place to protect yourself and your communities.”

Of the 45 people in hospital, 43 were admitted during the Omicron wave.

The vaccination status of those in hospital is:

• 11 (24.4 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
• 20 (44.4 per cent) are fully vaccinated (two doses)
• 1 (2.2 per cent) is partially vaccinated
• 13 (28.9 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:

• 122 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
• 166 people who contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to hospital.

Vaccine Coverage:

As of February 27, 2,212,224 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, 62.3 per cent of Nova Scotians 18 and older have received a booster dose, and 0.6 per cent have booked a booster dose appointment.

Cases and Testing:

Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) labs completed 1,941 tests February 25; 1,512 tests February 26; and 1,449 tests February 27.

On February 26, there were 322 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported: 168 cases in Central Zone, 45 cases in Eastern Zone, 53 cases in Northern Zone and 56 cases in Western Zone.

On February 27, there were 322 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported: 128 cases in Central Zone, 64 cases in Eastern Zone, 64 cases in Northern Zone and 66 cases in Western Zone.

An additional 243 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being reported today, February 28: 133 cases in Central Zone, 24 cases in Eastern Zone, 57 cases in Northern Zone and 29 cases in Western Zone.

There will be an increase in new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported. This is expected and is a result of people with positive rapid tests being able to get a confirmatory PCR test. New cases reported will now show a greater proportion of overall cases in the province.

As of today, there are an estimated 1,967 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.

Hospital Outbreaks:

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

• one additional patient in a ward at Hants Community Hospital in Windsor; fewer than 10 patients have now tested positive
• one additional patient in a ward at Cape Breton Regional Hospital; 10 patients have now tested positive
• one additional patient in a separate ward at Cape Breton Regional Hospital; 12 patients have now tested positive.

Quick Facts:

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

Additional Resources:

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

Nova Scotians can find accurate, up-to-date information on the Province’s response to COVID-19 at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus

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

Information on Nova Scotia’s three-phase reopening plan, which started February 14, is available at: https://novascotia.ca/reopening-plan/

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)