Ed note: Related: Public Health Mobile Units providing additional COVID-19 testing
This week’s COVID-19 data report shows a continued increase in the number of lab-confirmed infections and corresponding increase in the metrics used to monitor severe outcomes. Because of widespread vaccine coverage, there are fewer people as a percentage of total cases ending up in hospital or dying of COVID-19.
“We know vaccines offer excellent protection against severe outcomes – and that’s true for all age groups – but we see the impact most clearly in older adults, whose risk of severe outcomes is highest,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. “We see the highest impact in those with at least three doses – that is, a complete primary series and a booster. A booster dose of vaccine lowers a person’s risk of hospitalization by more than 80 per cent and the risk of death from COVID by more than 90 per cent compared to those who are unvaccinated or have only one dose.”
Dr Robert Strang
This week’s report covers a six-day period from April 6 to April 11. Future reports will cover seven days, from Tuesday to Monday. This adjustment allows public health’s data and surveillance team more time to collect, validate and analyze information. The release will continue to be distributed on Thursdays.
The weekly summary has a new table which shows the number and rate of hospitalizations and deaths by age group during the Omicron wave, which started December 8, 2021. This, along with other information in the weekly report, helps public health better understand the two biggest risk factors for severe disease and death, which are age and vaccination status.
The weekly COVID-19 epidemiologic summary is prepared for Dr. Strang and his team to inform the province’s response to the pandemic. It tracks weekly trends and is focused on monitoring for severe outcomes in key populations. The report is posted weekly on the government’s coronavirus website. The data dashboard will be updated weekly until April 28.
This week’s report can be found here: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/alerts-notices/#epidemiologic-summaries
For the six-day period ending April 11:
— there were 6,912 positive PCR tests performed at the lab
— there were 72 new hospital admissions due to COVID-19
— there were 14 COVID-19 deaths reported in Panorama, public health’s disease information system
— the median age of COVID-19 reported deaths since the start of the Omicron wave is 80
— the median length of a COVID-19 hospital stay is 6.8 days.
As of April 14, 64.2 per cent of Nova Scotians 18 and older have received a booster dose.
Additional Resources:
COVID-19 dashboard: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/204d6ed723244dfbb763ca3f913c5cad
Book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment: https://novascotia.flow.canimmunize.ca/en/9874123-19-7418965
For information on testing, including where to get a rapid testing kit: https://www.nshealth.ca/coronavirustesting
Government of Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19.html
Source: Release