COVID-19 Weekly Data Report for June 30, 2022

Nova Scotia is reporting 1,491 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19, 28 hospitalizations and four deaths in the seven-day period ending June 27. The number of new positive PCR tests increased slightly compared to the previous reporting period; however, long-term care outbreaks, hospital admissions and deaths have declined.

“Our epidemiology shows that unvaccinated people have a significantly higher risk of hospitalization and death than people who receive three or more doses,” said Dr. Shelley Deeks, deputy chief medical officer of Nova Scotia. « And when we compare across ages among those who have received three or more vaccine doses, people 70 and older are at higher risk of serious outcomes than those aged 50 to 69. »

Since the start of the Omicron waves on December 8, 2021, the median age of hospitalizations is 71 years old and the median age of those who have died is 81 years old. Three of the four COVID-19 deaths reported this week were people aged 70 or older.

Data shows that age is the biggest risk factor for serious illness and that vaccines continue to work. The risk of hospitalization is 11.5 times higher in people aged 70 and over and the risk of death about 117 times higher than in people under 50. In every age group for which the vaccine is available, unvaccinated people are at higher risk of severe disease than those who are vaccinated. Vaccine-related immunity declines more rapidly in people age 70 and older, so a second booster dose was recommended this spring. Most adults under 70 are still well protected against serious illness by their primary series plus a booster.

Nova Scotians who are not up to date on COVID-19 vaccines are still encouraged to receive all doses for which they are recommended.

To date, 65.9% of Nova Scotians aged 18 and older have received at least one booster dose, and 77,211 people have received a second.

The Weekly Epidemiological Summary of COVID-19 is prepared for the Chief Medical Officer of Health and his team to inform public health management of the pandemic. It tracks weekly trends and focuses on monitoring severe consequences among key populations. The full report is available here: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/alerts-notices/#epidemiologic-summaries

-30-