Nova Scotia reported 18 deaths from COVID-19 in its latest weekly report, published Thursday.
While the number of COVID-19 cases identified by PCR testing appears to be declining, data from May 2 to May 9 show the third highest number of COVID deaths reported since the beginning of the pandemic.
During the same period, there were 3118 new cases confirmed by PCR. The average daily number of cases is 445 new cases, which is less than 488 a week ago and 777 the previous week.
“We are seeing viral activity continue to slow in Nova Scotia and this is great news, but the number of hospitalizations and deaths remains high,” said Dr Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer, in a statement.
According to Nova Scotia Health, there are currently 44 new Scots hospitalized for COVID-19, including eight in the intensive care unit. Another 201 people tested positive when they were admitted to hospital for another health problem. Another 93 patients became infected with COVID-19 after hospitalization.
Dr Shelley Deeks, Nova Scotia’s deputy chief health doctor, said in a teleconference Thursday this week that the report showed a link between age and poor performance.
The risk of hospitalization is about 10 times higher for those aged 70 and over than for those aged 18 to 49, and the risk of death is more than 100 times higher than for those under 50.
The number of COVID-19 cases involving long-term care and residential care is declining this week.
“It simply came to our notice then. So it looks like the peak is over, “Deeks said.
Cases of influenza
The province is also reporting 32 new laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza A for the week ending May 7. Of these, more than 60 percent were in people aged 19 and under. These 32 cases accounted for more than a quarter of all influenza infections reported during the 2021-2022 flu season, according to public health.
“During the pandemic, we had very few reports of flu in the countryside and across the country,” Deeks said. “Across Canada, we’ve seen an increase in flu, mostly flu A, in the last few weeks, and that’s true in Nova Scotia.
“It’s unusual because we haven’t seen any flu or very little flu in the last two years. But if you compare the number of flu cases we had before the pandemic, the numbers we see now are in line with the numbers before the pandemic. “
Strang said the rise of other respiratory viruses in late spring, which is happening in Nova Scotia and across the country, is “an even greater reason to stay vigilant”.
New recommendations for reinforcement are coming
As of Thursday, 65.2% of Nova Scotians aged 18 and over had received a booster dose and 41,584 people had received a fourth dose of the vaccine, according to Nova Scotia Health.
Second booster doses are available to residents of long-term and residential care facilities aged 70 and over and members of First Nations communities aged 55 and over in Nova Scotia.
Dix said the province expects new recommendations from the National Immunization Advisory Committee (NACI) for booster doses in the fall, “which are likely to cover a wider age range than just the 70s.”
Dix said the age group over 70 is focused on because there is evidence of weakened immunity, especially in the age group over 80.
“For younger people, the effectiveness of the vaccine against severe results is relatively strong,” she said.
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