Health officials in Nova Scotia are reporting four new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, increasing the total number of active cases in the province to 12.
Three of the previously reported cases are now considered resolved.
Two of Wednesday’s cases are in the Central zone and the other two are in the Eastern zone. All four infections are close contacts to previously reported cases.
“The virus is still here and we know it is always looking for an opportunity to spread,” said Premier Stephen McNeil.
“That’s why we are being cautious, keeping restrictions in place and encouraging everyone to continue following all of the public health protocols.”
“We’ve been seeing low case numbers the past few days, which indicates that our public health measures are working,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health. “Continue to do your part by wearing a mask, limiting social contacts, practising social distancing, adhering to the gathering limit, staying home if you feel unwell and washing your hands.”
Nova Scotia’s COVID-19 online dashboard now provides an update on the amount of vaccines that have been administered to date.
As of Tuesday, 12,286 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered so far, with 2,709 Nova Scotians having received a second dose.
Of the vaccines administered, 7,678 were health care workers, and 954 were long-term care residents.
Premier Stephen McNeil says the province’s vaccine plan continues to rollout but they do have serious concerns about the supply.
“We had hoped that we wouldn’t be in this situation, but we will not be receiving any new doses this week,” said McNeil, in a news conference on Tuesday. “But because we’ve held back our second dose, we still have supply and it is our hope that everyone will be given their second shot.”
“I think we know we’re not getting any Pfizer vaccine next week,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief public officer of health, during a provincial news conference on Tuesday. “The week after, we’re getting 1,950 doses, a tray of vaccines. Beyond that, there’s no certainty of what the amount of vaccine, whether it’s Pfizer or Moderna, we’re going to get”
McNeil says when the vaccine supply ramps up, the province will be sure to have the infrastructure in place so they can quickly and efficiently deliver shots to Nova Scotians.
HALIFAX AREA POST-SECONDARY STUDENTS URGED TO GET TESTED
Health officials in the province are strongly encouraging all post-secondary students in the Halifax area to get tested after several cases were identified in Halifax’s student population.
Public health says students should get tested even if they haven’t travelled, have no symptoms, and have not been at a location with an exposure.
Drop-in testing began on Tuesday and is available all week at Dalhousie University.
Pop-up rapid COVID-19 testing will also take place at several locations in the province’s Eastern zone beginning Wednesday.
Those locations include:
Wednesday, Jan. 27 – Cape Breton University, Canada Games Complex from 1 to 6 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 28 – St. Theresa’s Hall, 285 St. Peters Rd, Sydney from 1 to 6 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 29 – Amelia Saputo Centre, St. F.X., Antigonish from 1 to 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 30 – Amelia Saputo Centre, St. F.X., Antigonish from noon to 6 p.m.
Health officials are also reminding Nova Scotians that mobile testing units are available for everyone, and not just students.
COVID-19 CASE DATA
The Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 1,516 tests on Tuesday.
Since Oct. 1, Nova Scotia has completed 154,517 tests. There have been 487 positive COVID-19 cases and no deaths. Cases have ranged in age from under 10 to over 70. Four hundred and seventy-five cases are now resolved.
Since the pandemic began, Nova Scotia has completed 278,695 tests. Cumulatively, there have been 1,576 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 1,499 cases considered recovered.
The province has reported 65 COVID-19 related deaths since the pandemic began, with an average age of 80.
There is currently no one in hospital due to COVID-19.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the province’s confirmed cases range in age from under 10 to over 90.
Fifty-five per cent of cases are female, and 45 per cent are male.
There are cases confirmed across the province, but most have been identified in the Central Zone, which contains the Halifax Regional Municipality.
The provincial government says cumulative cases by zone may change as data is updated in Panorama, the province’s electronic information system.
The numbers reflect where a person lives and not where their sample was collected.
Western Zone: 92 cases (0 active cases)
Central Zone: 1279 cases (5 active cases)
Northern Zone: 127 cases (4 active cases)
Eastern Zone: 78 cases (3 active cases)
The provincial state of emergency, which was first declared on March 22, 2020, has been extended to Feb. 7, 2021.
