Forty-four new cases of COVID-19 are being reported in Nova Scotia today, April 23.
Thirty-three cases are in Central Zone, five of which were identified Thursday, April 22, at Dartmouth South Academy in Dartmouth, Ross Road School in Westphal, Holland Road Elementary in Fletchers Lake, St. Catherine’s Elementary in Halifax and St. Joseph’s-Alexander McKay Elementary in Halifax.
Five cases are in Eastern Zone, four cases are in Western Zone and two are in Northern Zone.
One of the cases in Central Zone is a staff member at The Ivy Meadows, a long-term care facility in Beaver Bank. As a precaution, residents are being isolated and cared for in their rooms and the facility is closed to visitors and designated caregivers. The Ivy Meadows is working with public health on testing required for residents and staff. All residents were offered vaccinations earlier and the majority of residents accepted full vaccination with two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
Due to an increased number of investigations in recent days, exposure category (i.e., travel, close contact or unknown) is not always available by release time. A breakdown by zone identifying exposure categories will no longer be provided regularly. There are signs of community spread in Central Zone. At this time there are no signs of community spread in Eastern, Northern or Western Zone.
Seven UK variant cases have been identified. There have been 73 cases of the UK variant, 12 cases of the South African variant and one case of the Brazil variant identified in Nova Scotia.
“With the new restrictions taking effect today, we are asking Nova Scotians to do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Premier Iain Rankin. “We’ve done this before and we can do it again. We all have a responsibility to follow the public health measures that help to keep ourselves, our families and our communities safe.”
As of today, Nova Scotia has 150 active cases of COVID-19.
Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 5,956 Nova Scotia tests on April 22.
There were 6,520 tests administered between April 16 and 22 at the rapid-testing pop-up sites in Halifax and Sackville.
As of April 22, 260,788 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 34,493 Nova Scotians have received their second dose.
Since Oct. 1, Nova Scotia has completed 364,314 tests. There have been 849 positive COVID-19 cases and two deaths. Four people are in hospital. Cases range in age from under 10 to over 90. There are 697 resolved cases. Cumulative cases may change as data is updated in Panorama.
“The new restrictions for the greater Halifax area come into effect today. I know it’s not easy, but it is a necessary step to allow us to limit the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health. “While the majority of the cases are in the Central Zone, COVID-19 can easily find its way into other parts of the province. We must all remain vigilant and continue working to limit spread within, and beyond, Halifax.”
Nova Scotians are strongly encouraged to seek asymptomatic COVID-19 testing, particularly if they have a large number of close contacts due to their work or social activities. Appointments can be booked at https://covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca/, by choosing the asymptomatic option. Rapid testing pop-up sites continue to be set up around the province as well. More information on testing can be found at https://www.nshealth.ca/coronavirustesting .
Source: Release #notw