N.S. reports six new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, fourth case confirmed at Kentville hospital

HALIFAX -

Health officials in Nova Scotia are reporting six new cases of COVID-19 and 27 recoveries on Wednesday, as the number of active cases in the province drops to 165.

• Three new cases were identified in the province's Central zone.
• Two new cases were identified in the province's Western zone.
• One new case was identified in the province's Northern zone.

The province also confirmed that a fourth patient in a non-COVID unit at Valley Regional Hospital in Kentville has tested positive for COVID-19. One person is in intensive care at the hospital.

Nova Scotia Health Authority continues to test patients, staff and doctors identified as close contacts. and has made testing available for staff and doctors on site who want to get tested as a precaution.

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 NOTICE FOR HALIFAX SCHOOL

Health officials also sent an exposure notice for one school in the province on Tuesday.

The latest school exposure is at École Mer et Monde in Halifax. The P-6 school located at 5750 Atlantic St. has been closed since Monday afternoon to prevent further spread of the virus among the school community.

“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.

There are currently three schools in the Halifax-area closed until at least Oct. 25: École Mer et Monde and Joseph Howe Elementary in Halifax and Dartmouth South Academy in Dartmouth.

With the latest closures, four schools in the Halifax area have been temporarily closed in the last two weeks.

Duc d'Anville Elementary School in Halifax was closed for four days last week after 14 cases of novel coronavirus were linked to the school.

A list of schools with exposures is available online.

COVID-19 CASE DATA

Nova Scotia Health Authority's labs completed 3,121 tests on Tuesday. A total of 1,285,684 COVID-19 tests have been processed since the start of the pandemic.

According to the province's online COVID-19 dashboard, there have been 7,166 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia. Of those, 6,903 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 five in intensive care units.

Since Aug. 1, there have been 1,270 positive COVID-19 cases and four deaths. Of the new cases since Aug. 1, 1,101 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: 403 cases (17 active case)
• Central zone: 5,535 cases (136 active cases)
• Northern zone: 545 cases (10 active cases)
• Eastern zone: 683 cases (2 active cases)

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, 1,552,716 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 750,349 Nova Scotians have received their second dose.

In total, 82.6 per cent of the province's overall population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 77.2 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