Nova Scotia reports 34 new COVID-19 cases, outbreak at St.FX

Health officials in Nova Scotia are reporting 34 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday.

There are 14 new cases in the Eastern Zone, 13 new cases in the Central Zone, six new cases in the Northern Zone and one new case in the Western Zone. There is a cluster of cases in a localized community in the Northern Zone and there is also evidence of limited community spread in Halifax and parts of northern Nova Scotia.

On Dec. 7, one school was notified of an exposure at the school. Parents and guardians are notified of exposures if a positive case (student, teacher or staff) was at the school while infectious.

OUTBREAK AT St.FX

Public health is also reporting an outbreak at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish which is in the Eastern zone.

To date, 21 people have tested positive for COVID-19. Wednesday’s case count includes the 12 cases announced by the university late Tuesday. Officials say some cases connected to this outbreak came in after the cut-off for reporting and will be included in Thursday's case and COVID-19 data dashboard updates.

Public health is working with the university to prevent further spread. They say increased public health measures and restrictions are in place.

N.S. COVID-19 CASE DATA

Nova Scotia currently has 162 active cases of COVID-19. Eleven people are currently hospitalized in the province; four of them in intensive care.

The Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 3,565 tests on Dec. 7.

The province has completed 1,428,830 tests since the pandemic began.

Since Aug. 1, there have been 2,585 positive COVID-19 cases and 16 deaths. Cases range in age from under 10 to over 90.

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: 638 cases (4 active cases)
• Central Zone: 6,184 cases (104 active cases)
• Northern Zone: 920 cases (38 active case)
• Eastern Zone: 739 cases (16 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 Dec. 7, 1,673,788 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 796,117 Nova Scotians have received their second dose, and 34,366 eligible Nova Scotians have received a third dose.

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.

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; or
• Runny nose/nasal congestion.