Nova Scotia reports 38 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, active cases rise to 180

HALIFAX -

Health officials in Nova Scotia are reporting 38 new COVID-19 cases and 19 recoveries on Wednesday, as the number of active cases rises to 180.

• Nineteen new cases were identified in the province's Central zone.
• Fourteen new cases were identified in the province's Western zone.
• Four new cases were identified in the province's Eastern zone.
• One new case was identified in the province's Northern zone.

“Nova Scotia Health Authority's public health team is investigating these new cases to understand the circumstances around the increased numbers,” says the province in a release

Public Health says it is closely monitoring all four health zones for community spread.

EXPOSURE NOTICE FOR THREE SCHOOLS

Health officials also sent exposure notices for three schools in the province on Tuesday.

The latest school exposures are at Oxford Regional Education Centre in Oxford, N.S., Bras D’Or Elementary in Cape Breton and Oxford School in Halifax..

“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.

COVID-19 CASE DATA

Nova Scotia Health Authority's labs completed 3,331 tests on Tuesday. A total of 1,321,013 COVID-19 tests have been processed since the start of the pandemic.

According to the province's online COVID-19 dashboard, there have been 7,462 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia. Of those, 7,181 people have recovered and 101 have died due to COVID-19.

There are currently eight people in hospital in Nova Scotia due to COVID-19, with no one in intensive care units.

Since Aug. 1, there have been 1,566 positive COVID-19 cases and six deaths. Of the new cases since Aug. 1, 1,379 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: 448 cases (24 active cases)
• Central zone: 5,716 cases (112 active cases)
• Northern zone: 596 cases (26 active cases)
• Eastern zone: 702 cases (18 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, 1,579,333 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 764,967 Nova Scotians have received their second dose.

In total, 83.3 per cent of the province's overall population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 78.7 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, 2020.

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