13 COVID-19 deaths reported this week as data suggests wave may have peaked

Nova Scotia is reporting 13 COVID-19 deaths this week.

Information for the seven-day period ending April 18 also shows 7,508 positive PCR tests performed at the lab and 84 hospital admissions due to the virus.

However, officials say the epidemiologic summary shows “possible stabilization” in two key areas.

The number of lab-confirmed cases and the number of cases linked to long-term care outbreaks are similar to last week's report.

Dr. Robert Strang has the day off, but Nova Scotia's deputy chief medical officer of health said the data suggests we may have hit the peak of this Omicron wave.

“From the beginning of March, we've seen a steep trajectory, an increase in the number of cases,” Dr. Shelley Deeks told reporters Thursday. “Over the last couple of weeks, it has been more stable.”

However, Deeks cautioned there hasn't yet been a drop in COVID activity.

“There's still a lot of virus out there. This has been the largest wave so far, so even at the peak we're getting a large number of cases daily,” she explained.

“I would say it could be at least another month before we start seeing a nice, sharp decrease.”

This means Nova Scotians should still be taking preventative measures to lower their odds of getting infected, including being fully vaccinated and wearing masks in indoor public spaces.

People who have received three doses of a vaccine have had an 82.5 per cent lower risk of hospitalization and 90.7 per cent lower risk of death than those who have not been vaccinated, or have only received one dose.

As of April 21, 64.5 per cent of Nova Scotians 18 and older have received a booster dose.

The median age of COVID-19 reported deaths since the start of the Omicron wave is 80 and the median length of a COVID-19 hospital stay is 6.8 days.