HALIFAX -- Health officials in Nova Scotia identified three new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. One previously reported case is now considered recovered, as the number of active cases in the province has increased to 12.

Two of Tuesday's new cases were identified in the province’s Central Zone and one was identified in the province's Western zone. Public Health says all three cases are tested to travel outside of Atlantic Canada, and the individuals are self-isolating as required.

"Last week, two cases we reported were additional cases of the UK variant of COVID-19," said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health. "To determine both a source for the infections and whether the cases themselves had resulted in further spread of the variant strain, we conducted a detailed reinvestigation tested over 150 people who could have either exposed one or both of the cases themselves, plus we retested the 32 close contacts of the two cases. To date, all test results have come back negative, which is really good news, although we're still waiting for a small number of results from people who could possibly be the original source. This is reassuring."

N.S. CASE DATA

The Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 1,381 tests on Monday. The province has completed 306,384 tests since the pandemic began.

Since the pandemic began, there have been 1,597 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia. Of those, 1,520 cases are now considered recovered, and there have been 65 deaths, leaving 12 active cases.

There is one person in hospital due to COVID-19 in Nova Scotia, who is 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: 96 cases (2 active case)
  • Central Zone: 1,293 cases (8 active cases)
  • Northern Zone: 128 cases (1 active case)
  • Eastern Zone: 80 cases (1 active case)

The provincial state of emergency, which was first declared on March 22, 2020, has been extended to Feb. 21, 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 Tuesday, 23,140 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered so far, with 8,225 people in Nova Scotia having received a second dose.

Of the vaccines administered 11,059 were health care workers, and 2,268 were long-term care residents.

"This week we expect to receive 10,530 doses of Pfizer vaccine, half of which will be reserved for second doses," Strang said. "This will be our biggest single shipment of vaccine to date, it will, it will be delivered to seven cold storage sites across the province, and this number of doses does take into account but we will now be drawing six rather than five doses per vial of the Pfizer vaccine."

Strang also provided some details on clinics to vaccinate health-care workers at clinics in Halifax, Kentville, and Cape Breton and at long-term care homes.

"The final three health-care worker clinics will be set up and ready to receive product later this week in Antigonish, along the South Shore, and in Cumberland," Strang said. "Vaccine was delivered to eight long-term care facilities last week and two more will receive vaccine this week. In long-term care, we have clinics running in multiple locations this week. Booking opened up this morning for the prototype immunization clinic at the IWK for Nova Scotians who are 18, years of age or older."

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