HALIFAX -- Health officials in Nova Scotia identified one new case of COVID-19 on Thursday. Two previously reported cases are now considered recovered, dropping the total number of active cases in the province to 10.

Thursday's new case was identified in Central Zone and is related to travel outside of Atlantic Canada. The person is self-isolating, as required.

"Nova Scotians can be proud of the work they're doing to keep our case numbers low," said Premier Stephen McNeil in a news release. "It shows people are taking the health of their fellow citizens seriously. I encourage everyone to continue following public health guidelines to keep the virus contained."

"The virus is always looking for an opportunity to spread, which means we must continue following all of the public health protocols to protect each other," added McNeil.

N.S. CASE DATA

The Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 854 tests on Wednesday.

Since Oct. 1, Nova Scotia has completed 166,074 tests. There have been 495 positive COVID-19 cases and no deaths. Cases have ranged in age from under 10 to over 70. Four-hundred-and-eighty-five cases are now resolved.

"Let's make sure that the work of the last 11 months is not wasted by taking a chance," said McNeil. "We've seen how quickly this virus can take off on us. We've seen it next door, we're watching what's happening in other parts of Canada."

There are currently two people in hospital due to COVID-19, one of which is in the intensive care unit.

Since the pandemic began, Nova Scotia has completed 289,252 tests. Cumulatively, there have been 1,584 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 1,509 cases considered recovered.

The province has reported 65 COVID-19 related deaths since the pandemic began, with an average age of 80.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the province’s confirmed cases range in age from under 10 to over 90.

Fifty-five per cent of cases are female, and 45 per cent are male.

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: 94 cases (1 active case)
  • Central Zone: 1,284 cases (8 active cases)
  • Northern Zone: 127 cases (0 active cases)
  • Eastern Zone: 79 cases (1 active case)

The provincial state of emergency, which was first declared on March 22, 2020, has been extended to Feb. 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 Thursday, 16,448 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered so far, with 4,046 Nova Scotians having received a second dose.

Of the vaccines administered, 10,251 were health care workers, and 1,687 were long-term care residents.

“Although we didn’t receive any vaccine last week, we are scheduled to receive 1,950 doses of Pfizer and 4,000 doses of Moderna later this week,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health. “As we have with previous shipments, we will administer half as first doses and save half for second doses.”

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.

"As we are seeing low case numbers, we are also noticing fewer people taking advantage of our asymptomatic testing, but we need people to continue getting tested," said Dr. Robert Strang, chief medical officer of health. "I want to encourage everyone, especially people with a high number of contacts, to make asymptomatic testing part of their regular routine. Testing is one way to stop COVID-19 before it has a chance to spread."

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