N.S. reports 24 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, active cases drop to 187

HALIFAX -

Health officials in Nova Scotia reported 24 new cases of COVID-19 and 32 recoveries on Wednesday, as the number of active cases drops to 187.

• Twenty-three new cases were identified in the province's Central zone.
• One new case was identified in the province's Western zone.

Health officials say there is community spread in the Central zone, primarily among people aged 20 to 40 who are unvaccinated and participating in social activities.

Public Health says it is closely monitoring all four health zones for community spread.

EXPOSURE NOTICES FOR FIVE HALIFAX SCHOOLS

Health officials also sent exposure notices for five schools in the Halifax Regional Municipality on Wednesday.

The latest school exposures are at Citadel High, Rockingstone Heights School and Joseph Howe Elementary in Halifax, and Portland Estates Elementary and Ellenvale Junior High in Dartmouth.

“It is important to note that an exposure associated with a school does not mean there is spread within the school or that the initial case was first exposed to the virus in the school. As always, all staff, parents and guardians are notified of exposures if a positive case (student, teacher or staff) was at the school while infectious,” said N.S. Health in a release.

A list of schools with exposures is available online.

COVID-19 CASE DATA

Nova Scotia Health Authority's labs completed 2,034 tests on Tuesday. A total of 1,263,949 COVID-19 tests have been processed since the start of the pandemic.

According to the province's online COVID-19 dashboard, there have been 7,033 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia. Of those, 6,748 people have recovered and 98 have died due to COVID-19.

There are currently 16 people in hospital in Nova Scotia due to COVID-19, with two in an intensive care unit.

Since Aug. 1, there have been 1,137 positive COVID-19 cases and four deaths. Of the new cases since Aug. 1, 946 are now considered resolved.

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: 386 cases (10 active case)
• Central zone: 5,332 cases (164 active cases)
• Northern zone: 534 cases (5 active cases)
• Eastern zone: 681 cases (8 active cases)

The provincial state of emergency, which was first declared on March 22, 2020, has been extended to Oct. 17, 2021.

VACCINE UPDATE

The province's COVID-19 online dashboard provides an update on the number of vaccines that have been administered to date.

As of Wednesday, 1,537,698 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.

In total, 81.9 per cent of the province's overall population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 76.4 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their second dose.

The province says it has received a total of 1,661,340 doses of COVID-19 vaccine since Dec. 15.

All Nova Scotians are encouraged to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as they are eligible. COVID-19 vaccination appointments can be made online or by phone at 1-833-797-7772.

LIST OF SYMPTOMS

Anyone who experiences a fever or new or worsening cough, or two or more of the following new or worsening symptoms, is encouraged to take an online test or call 811 to determine if they need to be tested for COVID-19:

• Sore throat
• Headache
• Shortness of breath
• Runny nose/nasal congestion