HALIFAX -- Health officials in Nova Scotia are reporting two new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. One previously reported case is now considered recovered, as the active number of cases increases to 41.

One of Friday's new cases was identified in the province's Central zone and remains under investigation.

The other new case was identified in the province's Northern zone and is related to travel outside Atlantic Canada. The individual is self-isolating, as required.

N.S. COVID-19 CASE DATA

The Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 2,257 tests on Thursday. The province has completed 444,086 tests since the pandemic began.

The province says there were also 536 tests administered between April 2 and 8 at the rapid-testing pop-up sites in Wolfville, Dartmouth and Musquodoboit Harbour. 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 1,756 COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia. Of those, 1,649 cases have recovered and 66 people have died due to the novel coronavirus.

There is currently one person in hospital due to COVID-19, with no one 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: 117 cases (12 active cases)
  • Central Zone: 1,407 cases (22 active cases)
  • Northern Zone: 134 cases (2 active case)
  • Eastern Zone: 98 cases (5 active cases)

The provincial state of emergency, which was first declared on March 22, 2020, has been extended to April 18, 2021.

VACCINE APPOINTMENTS OPEN TO AGES 65 TO 69

As of Friday, Nova Scotians ages 65 to 69 can book COVID-19 vaccine appointments.

People in that age group can book appointments at community clinics and participating pharmacy and primary care clinics that offer the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. There are still vacancies in some clinics in Central Zone for next week and more than 40,000 appointments are being added to clinic locations across the province for the coming weeks.

“Given the number of people in this age group, it’s likely we won’t be able to drop down in age cohort in the next few weeks,” said Rankin. “I know there are people who are eligible to get their vaccine and haven’t been able to get an appointment yet, but as Dr. Strang said on Tuesday, vaccine is being distributed across the province equitably, by location.”

The province says appointments also remain open for the AstraZeneca vaccine for people who are 55 to 64 years of age.

Appointments for all three vaccines will be released continuously as vaccine supply is confirmed.

As of Friday, the province says there are 10 community clinics, 124 pharmacy clinics and 9 primary care clinics offering COVID-19 vaccine across the province

All Nova Scotians are encouraged to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as they are eligible.

VACCINE UPDATE

The province's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Robert Strang, announced Friday that all Nova Scotians who want a vaccination should be able to get their first dose by late June.

The original target was September.

Strang says the province is ramping up the immunization process, with 40,000 doses expected to be administered this week and another 50,000 next week.

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

As of Friday, 138,348 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 107,510 were first doses and 30,838 Nova Scotians have received their second dose.

“Yesterday was another record day, 8,503 doses went into arms,” said Rankin during Friday’s news update. “96.2 per cent of health care workers have either received their first dose or second, as Nova Scotia is a leader in this area.”

Rankin also says all licenced long-term care facilities expect to be fully vaccinated by the end of April.

As of Tuesday, 53,305 vaccines were administered to health care workers, and 10,062 were administered to long-term care residents.

As of Tuesday, the province has received a total of 200,250 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, and anticipate a delivery of 84,740 doses this week.

NOVA SCOTIANS ENCOURAGED TO SEEK ASYMPTOMATIC TESTING

Public health is strongly encouraging Nova Scotians to seek asymptomatic COVID-19 testing, particularly if they have had 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  

With files from the Canadian Press.