COVID-19 update: 16 hospital admissions, three discharges

Nova Scotia reported no new deaths due to COVID-19, but 16 new hospitalizations and three discharges on Friday.

As of Friday, 94 Nova Scotians are hospitalized due to COVID-19, and of that number, five were hospitalized before the current wave. The average hospital stay is 6.9 days.

There are 13 people in intensive care. The average age of those hospitalized is 68 and the age range of those in hospital is 0 to 100 years old. Of those in hospital, 20.2 per cent are unvaccinated.

Discussing the recent increase in people requiring intensive care due to COVID-19 at the province’s briefing on Wednesday, Nova Scotia chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang said “we’re seeing a shift as Omicron gets into older age groups.”

He said Omicron is now infecting people whose immune systems are weakened by their age or who already have chronic health conditions. The virus exacerbates both issues, he said, creating a greater likelihood for the requirement of intensive care.

There are also 73 people who arrived at a hospital for other reasons and tested positive, and 113 people who contracted COVID-19 after being admitted to a hospital.

The Nova Scotia Health Authority reported 601 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19, which raises the estimated number of active cases in the province to 5,241.

The province also opened Pfizer vaccine appointments to those who are 30 and older. The province had added 55,000 Pfizer appointments on Monday, but those appointments were restricted to people ages 12 to 29.

The Pfizer vaccine is the only dose available to those aged 12 to 17. Additionally, recent evidence has demonstrated an increased yet rare risk of myocarditis and pericarditis – inflammation of the heart – in young adults after receiving the Moderna vaccine.

Those 30 and older who have Moderna appointments booked should honour their booking and receive that dose of the vaccine to reduce wasted doses, according to Thursday’s news release.

The province also extended the state of emergency until Feb. 6.