Today, September 28, Nova Scotia is reporting one death related to COVID-19. A man in his 70s in Northern Zone has died.

“Another family is suffering the loss of a loved one, and on behalf of all Nova Scotians, I offer our condolences to those grieving,” said Premier Tim Houston. “This virus is serious and can have devastating impacts. Do your part and get vaccinated if you haven’t done so already. Together we can slow the spread of the virus.”

Nova Scotia is also reporting 32 new cases of COVID-19 and 28 recoveries.

There are 27 cases in Central Zone, three cases in Northern Zone and two cases in Eastern Zone.

There is community spread in Central Zone, primarily among people aged 20 to 40 who are unvaccinated and participating in social activities.

“My thoughts and prayers are with those who are grieving the loss of their loved one,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health. “The vaccine can help prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death. I urge Nova Scotians to get both doses and continue to protect themselves and the people around them.” 

On September 27, seven schools were notified of an exposure(s) at their school. It is important to note that an exposure associated with a school does not mean there is spread within the school or that the initial case was first exposed to the virus in the school. As always, all staff, parents and guardians are notified of exposures if a positive case (student, teacher or staff) was at the school while infectious. A list of schools with exposures is available online: https://backtoschool.ednet.ns.ca/school-exposures

As of today, Nova Scotia has 205 active cases of COVID-19. Of those, 13 people are in hospital, including one in ICU.

On September 27, Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 4,947 tests.

As of September 27, 1,503,065 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 723,167 Nova Scotians have received their second dose.

Since August 1, there have been 702 positive COVID-19 cases and three deaths. Cases range in age from under 10 to over 90. There are 494 resolved cases. Cumulative cases may change as data is updated in Panorama.

Testing advice:

Nova Scotians with or without symptoms can book a test at: https://covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca/en for COVID-19 for COVID-19 testing centres across the province. Those eligible to receive asymptomatic testing are listed at: https://www.nshealth.ca/visit-covid-19-testing-site . Those with no symptoms who do not meet this criteria are encouraged to use one of the rapid testing pop-up sites if they want to be tested. Some public health mobile unit clinics also offer drop-in testing; this will be noted in promotions.

Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms is advised to self-isolate and book a COVID-19 test.

Anyone advised by public health that they were a close contact needs to complete a full 14-day quarantine, regardless of test results, unless they are fully vaccinated. If they are fully vaccinated at least 14 days before the exposure date, they do not need to self-isolate as long as they are not experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms. They should still get tested and should monitor for symptoms up to 14 days after the exposure date. If symptoms develop, they should get tested and self-isolate until they receive a negative test result.

Symptoms and self-assessment:

Nova Scotians should visit https://covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca/ to do a self-assessment if in the past 48 hours they have had or are currently experiencing:

— cough (new or worsening)

Or two or more of the following symptoms:

— fever (chills, sweats)
— headache
— runny nose or nasal congestion
— sore throat
— shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

People should call 811 if they cannot access the online self-assessment or wish to speak with a nurse about their symptoms.

Anyone with symptoms should immediately self-isolate and book a test.

Quick Facts:
— due to an increased number of investigations, the exposure category (i.e., travel, close contact or under investigation) is not always available by release time; a breakdown by zone identifying exposure categories will no longer be provided regularly 
— a state of emergency was declared under the Emergency Management Act on March 22, 2020, and has been extended to October 3, 2021

Additional Resources:
Nova Scotians can find accurate, up-to-date information, handwashing posters and fact sheets at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus
More information on COVID-19 case data, testing and vaccines is available at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/data/
More information about public health text notifications of positive COVID-19 cases and close contacts is available here: https://www.nshealth.ca/news/public-health-begins-contacting-positive-covid-19-cases-close-contacts-text-message

Government of Canada: https://canada.ca/coronavirus  or 1-833-784-4397 (toll-free)

Source: Release