Nova Scotia reports 52 news cases of COVID-19 Thursday, 38 connected to StFX

Health officials in Nova Scotia are reporting 52 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.

Public health says there are 29 cases in the Central Zone, 18 cases in the Eastern Zone, three cases in the Northern Zone and two cases 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.

Nineteen of the province's previously reported cases are now considered resolved, with the total number of active cases increasing to 194.

38 NEW CASES CONNECTED TO StFX

There are 38 new cases being reported, and 59 in total so far, related to the outbreak at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish. The province says, so far, those infected are experiencing very mild symptoms because the cases are mostly young people who are fully vaccinated. More new cases are expected in the coming days. The university reports that about 98 per cent of the student body is vaccinated.

The province says there has been no evidence of spread in classrooms or residences to date, and no secondary transmission in the community. Currently, the investigation has found the majority of spread happened in smaller, private gatherings. Most cases are related to those who attended activities Dec. 2-5, both on and off campus. There is an ongoing enforcement investigation.

“Our priority right now is supporting those who are positive and containing any further spread on campus and in the community,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health.

“The vaccine is doing its job by limiting spread and keeping symptoms mild, so this outbreak is very different from what we’ve seen in previous wave 4 outbreaks. Our concern level is lower because of wide-spread vaccinations and the symptoms we are seeing. It is important that community members and students diligently practice public health measures, especially masking and isolation if need be, and get tested if they have symptoms and attended any of the activities or had interactions with the people involved. A thank you to the people who have quickly come forward to be tested.”

SCHOOL EXPOSURES

On Dec. 8, four schools were notified of an exposure(s) at 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. A list of schools with exposures is available online: https://backtoschool.ednet.ns.ca/school-exposures

N.S. COVID-19 CASE DATA

The Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 4,454 tests on Wednesday. The province has completed 1,433,298 tests since the pandemic began.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 8,532 COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia. Of those, 8,228 cases have recovered and 110 people have died due to the novel coronavirus.

There are currently nine people in hospital due to COVID-19, with four in the intensive care unit.

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: 639 cases (5 active cases)
• Central Zone: 6,211 cases (117 active cases)
• Northern Zone: 923 cases (36 active case)
• Eastern Zone: 759 cases (36 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 Wednesday, 1,673,788 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 81.6 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their second dose, and 2.8 per cent of 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
• Runny nose/nasal congestion