Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia reports 4 COVID-19 deaths Thursday

The province is also reporting 97 people in desigated COVID-19 units at hospitals.

Province also reporting 97 people in designated COVID-19 units at hospitals

Unvaccinated Nova Scotians are about 3.5 to four times more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 than someone with two doses of vaccine. (Robert Short/CBC)

Nova Scotia reported four COVID-19 deaths on Thursday and 97 people in designated hospital units, including 13 people in the ICU.

The deaths included a woman in her 60s in the central zone, a woman in her 80s in the central zone, a woman in her 90s in the central zone and a man in his 90s in the eastern zone.

Nova Scotia's health authority has reported some hospitals are exceeding their patient capacity and have occasionally had no room for new admissions.

The system's overall capacity was at 104 per cent on Tuesday and the province said pressure from COVID-19 patients led to one emergency department closing on Monday.

The age range of people in hospital is between one and 100 and the average age is 66, according to a news release. The average hospital stay is 7.9 days.

The vaccination status of those in hospital is:

  • Twenty-five (25.8 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Forty-five (46.4 per cent) are fully vaccinated (two doses).
  • One (one per cent) is partially vaccinated.
  • Twenty-six (26.8 per cent) are unvaccinated.

Currently, unvaccinated Nova Scotians are about 3.5 times more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 than someone with two doses of vaccine. That is based on average hospitalizations since the province started releasing the daily hospitalization numbers by vaccine status on Jan. 4.

Nova Scotia Health Authority labs completed 3,922 tests on Wednesday and an additional 401 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported.

There are 176 cases in central zone, 55 cases in eastern zone, 59 cases in northern zone and 111 cases in western zone.

The province estimates there are 3,647 active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.

Atlantic Canada case numbers

  • Prince Edward Island reported 12 people in hospital Thursday, with two in ICU.
  • New Brunswick reported four deaths and 165 hospitalizations Thursday, including 14 in ICU with six people on ventilators. 
  • Newfoundland and Labrador reported one death and 20 people in hospital on Thursday, including 13 in the ICU.