HALIFAX -- The Nova Scotia government says a man in his 70s has died from COVID-19.
The man lived in the Nova Scotia Health Authority’s central zone, but he was not a resident of Northwood, nor of any other long-term care home. The province says the man had underlying health conditions.
No other details about the man have been released.
"My thoughts are with those who are mourning the loss of a loved one today," said Premier Stephen McNeil in a news release on Thursday.
"I recognize the public health measures make it difficult for families and friends to grieve. We must remain vigilant and continue to support our neighbours as our province begins the work to recover from COVID-19."
Sixty-one people have now died from COVID-19 in Nova Scotia. Fifty-three deaths have involved residents at the Northwood long-term care home in Halifax, which has seen the most significant outbreak in the province.
A Halifax law firm is proposing a class-action lawsuit against the facility, claiming normal standards of care weren't met to protect against infection from COVID-19.
There is no news conference scheduled for Thursday. The next news conference will be held Friday.
No new cases of COVID-19; 995 people recovered
The province isn’t reporting any new cases of COVID-19 at this time. The total number of cases remains at 1,058.
The QEII Health Sciences Centre's microbiology lab completed 893 Nova Scotia tests on Wednesday.
To date, Nova Scotia has 43,911 negative test results.
Two more people have recovered from the virus, for a total of 995 recoveries. Their cases are considered resolved.
According to the provincial numbers, this would leave two active cases in Nova Scotia.
However, Northwood is reporting four active cases of COVID-19, involving three residents and one staff member. One staff member has recovered from the virus.
During the pandemic, there has been confusion over the number of recovered and active cases reported by the province, which don’t always match up with the numbers reported at Northwood.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang has explained that the data from long-term care homes comes from a different data source than the one used by public health and is on a different timeline. As a result, the data doesn’t always reconcile.
There are still three people in hospital, with one patient in the intensive care unit.
The province’s confirmed cases range in age from under 10 to over 90.
Sixty-two per cent of cases are female and 38 per cent are male.
The Nova Scotia Health Authority’s central zone, which contains the Halifax Regional Municipality, has seen the largest number of cases.
- western zone: 54 cases
- central zone: 907 cases
- northern zone: 45 cases
- eastern zone: 52 cases
Anyone who travels outside of Nova Scotia must also self-isolate for two weeks.
The provincial state of emergency, which was first declared on March 22, has been extended to June 14.
COVID-19 symptoms
Last month, the province expanded the list of symptoms for which it is screening.
Anyone who experiences one of the following symptoms is encouraged to take an online test to determine if they should call 811 for further assessment:
- fever (i.e. chills, sweats)
- cough or worsening of a previous cough
- sore throat
- headache
- shortness of breath
- muscle aches
- sneezing
- nasal congestion/runny nose
- hoarse voice
- diarrhea
- unusual fatigue
- loss of sense of smell or taste
