Nova Scotia reports 178 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday

Health officials in Nova Scotia are reporting 178 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday.

Public health says there are 113 cases in Central zone, 55 cases in Eastern Zone, five cases in Northern Zone and five cases in Western Zone.

Due to delays with data entry into Panorama (public health's case management system), the province says the number of positive cases released today are lab results, not Panorama results.

Because of a spike in testing and positive cases, public health says they are experiencing some delays in follow-up. Public health will try to contact anyone confirmed positive by the lab within 24 hours to provide information on required isolation and testing. All cases will be asked to contact their close contacts.

The province requires all close contacts, including those who are fully vaccinated, to isolate for 72 hours after the exposure and get a lab-based (PCR) test. Those who are fully vaccinated can stop isolating after receiving a negative lab test. Those not fully vaccinated must continue to isolate, following the instructions for close contacts who are not fully vaccinated.

On Tuesday, 14 schools were notified of an exposure(s) at their 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. A list of schools with exposures is available online.

UPDATE ON PROVINCEWIDE COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS

On Wednesday, the province updated some of its provincewide COVID-19 restrictions that were announced on Dec. 13.

Those updates include:

• masks are required indoors at public schools where physical distancing cannot be maintained; masks are not required outdoors
• spectators at sports games or arts and culture performances cannot eat or drink in the main seating area of the recreation facility or event venue; people must go to a designated area for eating and drinking
• except for medical appointments, residents in long-term care can only leave the facility if they are fully vaccinated, and it is strongly recommended that they have their booster dose as well
• residents in Disability Support Program homes licensed under the Homes for Special Care Act have the same restrictions as residents in long-term care.

A list of restrictions announced in Nova Scotia on Dec. 13 can be found online.

N.S. COVID-19 CASE DATA

The Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 6,940 tests on Tuesday. The province has completed 1,463,427 tests since the pandemic began.

There are currently six people in hospital due to COVID-19, with two people in an intensive care unit. There are no hospitalizations in Eastern Zone.

The provincial government says cumulative cases by zone may change as data is updated in Panorama.

The numbers reflect where a person lives and not where their sample was collected.

• Western Zone: 651 cases (15 active cases)
• Central Zone: 6,441 cases (268 active cases)
• Northern Zone: 948 cases (39 active case)
• Eastern Zone: 928 cases (194 active cases)

VACCINE UPDATE

Nova Scotia's COVID-19 online dashboard provides an update on the amount of vaccines that have been administered to date.

As of Tuesday, 1,698,007 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 791,379 Nova Scotians have received their second dose, and 58,047 eligible Nova Scotians have received a third dose.

TESTING ADVICE

The province says, regardless of vaccination status, anyone with symptoms should immediately self-isolate and visit https://covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca/ to do a self-assessment. They should also book a COVID-19 test if, in the past 48 hours, they have had or are currently experiencing:

• a cough (new or worsening)

Or two or more of the following symptoms:

• fever (chills, sweats)
• headache
• runny nose or nasal congestion
• sore throat
• shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

People should call 811 if they cannot access the online self-assessment or wish to speak with a nurse about their symptoms.

TESTING ADVICE FOR PEOPLE WITHOUT SYMPTOMS

The following groups are able to access asymptomatic testing:

• Close contacts of confirmed cases.
• People who have been at a community exposure location.
• Travellers entering the province from outside of Nova Scotia but from within Canada (not related to outbound travel or federal testing requirements for international travel).
• People who have screened positive on a rapid antigen test (e.g. through workplace screening) and require a confirmatory test.
• Pre-procedure (pre-surgery, etc.) for patients, when needed.
• Partially vaccinated physicians and Nova Scotia Health employees, as directed by Occupational Health (select locations).

People who do not meet any of the criteria for asymptomatic testing can get a rapid test at a pop-up site or a mobile unit.

COVID ALERT APP

Canada’s COVID-19 Alert app is available in Nova Scotia.

The app, which can be downloaded through the Apple App Store or Google Play, notifies users if they may have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.