Nova Scotia reports 18 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, active cases rise to 199

HALIFAX -

Health officials in Nova Scotia reported 18 new cases of COVID-19 and 17 recoveries on Friday, as the number of active cases rises to 199.

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

COVID-19 CASE DATA

Nova Scotia Health Authority's labs completed 3,697 tests on Thursday. A total of 1,271,183 COVID-19 tests have been processed since the start of the pandemic.

There were 29,673 rapid tests administered between October 8 and 14. This includes 4,773 rapid tests at the pop-up sites in Halifax and Dartmouth and 24,900 through the workplace screening program. Another 17,853 home rapid tests were distributed at the pop-up sites.

According to the province's online COVID-19 dashboard, there have been 7,077 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia. Of those, 6,780 people have recovered and 98 have died due to COVID-19.

There are currently 14 people in hospital in Nova Scotia due to COVID-19, with one in an intensive care unit.

Since Aug. 1, there have been 1,181 positive COVID-19 cases and four deaths. Of the new cases since Aug. 1, 978 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: 392 cases (12 active case)
• Central zone: 5,467 cases (174 active cases)
• Northern zone: 536 cases (7 active cases)
• Eastern zone: 682 cases (6 active cases)

The provincial state of emergency, which was first declared on March 22, 2020, has been extended to Oct. 31, 2021.

BREAKTHROUGH DATA

Public Health reports 'breakthrough cases' weekly. A breakthrough case involves a person becoming COVID-19 positive two weeks after receiving either one or two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the province there have been 106 cases of COVID-19 from Oct. 7 to Oct. 13. Of those:

• 24 (22.6 per cent) were fully vaccinated
• 5 (4.7 per cent) were partially vaccinated
• 77 (72.6 per cent) were unvaccinated

There have been 5,380 cases from March 15 to Oct. 13. Of those:

• 290 (5.4 per cent) were fully vaccinated
• 345 (6.4 per cent) were partially vaccinated
• 4,745 (88.2 per cent) were unvaccinated

There were 296 people hospitalized. Of those:

• 8 (2.7 per cent) were fully vaccinated
• 29 (9.8 per cent) were partially vaccinated
• 259 (87.5 per cent) were unvaccinated

Thirty-two people died. Of those:

• 3 (9.4 per cent) were fully vaccinated
• 3 (9.4 per cent) were partially vaccinated
• 26 (81.3 per cent) were unvaccinated

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 Thursday, 1,540,851 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.

In total, 82 per cent of the province's overall population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 76.6 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.

EXPOSURE NOTICES FOR TWO HALIFAX SCHOOLS

Health officials also sent exposure notices for two schools in the Halifax Regional Municipality on Thursday.

The latest school exposures are at Halifax Central Junior High, and Dartmouth South Academy.

“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.

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