Today, April 17, Nova Scotia is reporting eight new cases of COVID-19.
Five cases are in Eastern Zone. Three of them are related to travel outside Atlantic Canada, one is related to international travel, and one is a close contact of a previously reported case.
One case is in Western Zone and is related to travel outside of Atlantic Canada.
Two cases are in Central Zone. One is related to international travel and the other is a close contact of a previously reported case.
The close contact case in Central Zone is a staff member at Glasgow Hall, a long-term care home in Dartmouth. Most residents of this facility have been fully vaccinated with two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. As a precaution, residents are being isolated and cared for in their rooms and all residents and staff are being tested.
“Our priority during the COVID-19 pandemic has been to protect our most vulnerable Nova Scotians,” said Premier Iain Rankin. “News of a case in a long-term care home is very troubling. Public health and the impacted facility are working quickly to make sure this is contained. While the vaccine rollout to all our long-term care facilities is almost complete, this is another reminder that COVID-19 is still here and we all need to be vigilant.”
“We know the COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing serious illness and death from COVID-19 and thankfully almost all of the residents at Glasgow Hall have been fully vaccinated,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health. “Based on recent experience in Canada, I anticipate that the vaccine will prevent widespread transmission in this facility and that anyone who does contract the virus will only have mild symptoms.”
As of today, Nova Scotia has 44 active cases of COVID-19.
Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 2,337 Nova Scotia tests on April 16.
Since Oct. 1, Nova Scotia has completed 341,192 tests. There have been 711 positive COVID-19 cases and two deaths. Two people are in hospital. Cases range in age from under 10 to over 90. There are 665 resolved cases. Cumulative cases may change as data is updated in Panorama.
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