HALIFAX -- Health officials in Nova Scotia are reporting one new case of COVID-19 on Monday. Four previously reported cases are now considered recovered, as the number of active cases in the province has dropped to 35.

Monday's new case was identified in the province's Central zone and is a close contact of a previously reported case.

The Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 3,931 tests on Sunday. The province has completed 338,117 tests since the pandemic began.

"A record number of Nova Scotians took advantage of COVID-19 testing over the weekend. Thank you for that," said Premier Iain Rankin. "It's a great response but it doesn't mean we can let down our guard. Testing is just one part of our multi-layer response to the virus. So, continue to follow all the public health measures, including keeping your social circles small and consistent." 

Nova Scotia saw a record amount of tests completed over the weekend. Nova Scotia Health Authority labs processed 12,000 COVID-19 tests between Friday and Sunday, with eight positive cases identified.

Public Health officials say more tests were done at the lab this weekend than the entire 2009 H1N1 pandemic. According to officials, the total number of tests performed this weekend from all testing streams is 28,405.

"As we started to see an increase of cases without a clear source of infection, we asked Nova Scotians to do their part and book a COVID-19 test, even if they were asymptomatic," said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health. "Nova Scotians responded to the call and we saw an overwhelming amount of uptake in testing over the weekend at both the primary assessment centres and the pop-up clinics."

ONLINE VACCINE BOOKING SYSTEM CRASHES 

Nova Scotia's COVID-19 vaccination-booking web page is experiencing technical issues the first day it opened to people aged 80 and over.

The Health Department said Monday on Twitter its web page has been temporarily disabled as a precaution after booking service CANImmunize reported a slowdown because of high traffic volume.

The department says CANImmunize is investigating and in the meantime, people who want to book an appointment can do so by telephone -- although it says call volumes are also high.  

About 48,000 people in Nova Scotia are at least 80 years old and are eligible to get shots at a series of community clinics scheduled to open this month across the province.

N.S. CASE DATA

There have been 1,642 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia since the pandemic began. Of those, 1,542 are now considered recovered.

There have been 65 deaths, leaving 35 active cases remaining.

There are currently two people in hospital due to COVID-19, both in intensive care.

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: 99 cumulative cases (3 active cases)
  • Central Zone: 1,328 cumulative cases (26 active cases)
  • Northern Zone: 129 cumulative cases (1 active case)
  • Eastern Zone: 81 cumulative cases (5 active cases)

The provincial state of emergency, which was first declared on March 22, 2020, has been extended to March 7, 2021.

VACCINE UPDATE

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

As of March 1, 32,856 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered so far, with 12,845 people in Nova Scotia having received a second dose.

As of Feb. 23, 22,947 doses have been administered to health-care workers, and 3,160 doses have been administered to long-term care residents.

The province has received a total of 47,280 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, and are holding 5,593 in reserve for second doses and planned clinics.

NOVA SCOTIANS ENCOURAGED TO SEEK ASYMPTOMATIC TESTING

Public health is strongly encouraging Nova Scotians to seek asymptomatic COVID-19 testing, particularly if they have attended several social interactions, even with their own social circle.

COVID-19 tests can be booked through the provinces online self-assessment COVID-19 tool, or by calling 811.

People can also visit one of Nova Scotia’s many rapid pop-up testing sites that continue to operate throughout the province.

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