COVID-19 update: Four deaths, hospital system just shy of capacity

Nova Scotia reported four more deaths due to COVID-19 on Thursday.

Premier Tim Houston said again that the deaths should remind people how important it is to get vaccinated and follow public health guidelines. 

“By doing this, we can help prevent more Nova Scotians from having to experience such grief,” Houston said in a news release. 

A woman in her 60s, a woman in her 80s and a woman in her 90s died in the Central Zone. A man in his 90s in the Eastern Zone has also died. 

Hospitals across the province are operating at above 100 per cent capacity in non-acute care units and under 100 per cent in intensive care units, meaning the overall bed capacity is just shy of 100 per cent, according to the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

The optimal number for filled patient capacity would be 85 per cent, according to Carla Adams, a senior communications advisor for the health authority.  

“The province-wide health system is experiencing significant pressure which is likely to worsen over the next few weeks due to the rising number of people with COVID-19 in hospital, combined with decreased acute care capacity and human resources,” Adams said in an email.

The province reported 10 new hospital admissions due to COVID-19 and four discharges. There are 97 people in hospital, with 13 people in intensive care. There are five people in hospital who were admitted prior to the Omicron wave. 

The ages of those in hospital range from one to 100. The average age is 66. Those in hospital due to COVID-19 are staying for an average of 7.9 days. 

There are 120 people in hospitals who were admitted for another reason but tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival or were admitted for COVID-19 but no longer require specialized care. As well, 134 people contracted COVID-19 after arriving at the hospital. 

Of those in hospital, 26.8 per cent are unvaccinated. Less than 10 per cent of Nova Scotia’s population is unvaccinated. 

There are two new outbreaks at long-term care facilities: one resident and two staff have tested positive at Gables Lodge in Amherst; three staff members have tested positive at Victoria Haven in Glace Bay.

The province reported 401 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday after the Nova Scotia Health Authority completed 3,922 tests. This brings active cases in the province to 3,647.