Nova Scotia is reporting three COVID-19 related deaths and 29 new hospital admissions over the weekend.
There were also 19 hospital discharges since the last update on Friday, bringing the current hospital count to 59. Those in hospital range in age from 31 to 100 years old. Two people are in ICU.
The deaths involved a man in his 60s in Eastern Zone, a man in his 70s in Northern Zone and a man in his 80s in Central Zone. All three men contracted the virus during this Omicron wave.
“There’s no doubt this wave is very different, but there’s also no doubt that the virus can have very severe impacts on some people,” said Dr. Robert Strang, chief medical officer of health, in a news release.
“We all have a responsibility to protect the people around us who need it and our healthcare system. Follow restrictions and get your vaccine – whether it’s your first, second or booster dose.”
Of the 59 people in hospital, 55 were admitted during the Omicron wave.
The vaccination status of those in hospital, according to the province, is:
7 (11.9 per cent) people have had a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine
35 (59.3 per cent) are fully vaccinated (two doses)
2 (3.4 per cent) are partially vaccinated
15 (25.4 per cent) are unvaccinated
Currently, 90.1 per cent of Nova Scotians have received a first dose of a vaccine, 82.9 per cent have received their second dose and 19.9 per cent have received a booster.
Anyone aged 30 and older is eligible to book a booster shot.
New cases
On Monday, Nova Scotia Health Authority confirmed 816 new cases of COVID-19 based on PCR testing. The previous day, 4,063 tests were completed.
There are 526 cases in Central Zone, 110 cases in Eastern Zone, 70 cases in Northern Zone and 110 cases in Western Zone.
The province pointed out that over the weekend, 69 of 1,982 positive lab results were repeat positives. In other words, the results may be linked to someone who had been tested more than once.
Hospital outbreaks
Hospital outbreaks of COVID-19 continue to grow in the province.
New outbreaks were reported at Northside General Hospital, Aberdeen Hospital in New Glasgow, and the Abbie J. Lane Memorial Building of the QEII Health Sciences Centre. In each of those hospitals, fewer than five patients tested positive.
Meanwhile, additional cases have been reported at ongoing outbreaks in five hospitals:
two additional patients in a ward at the Victoria General site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre; fewer than ten people have tested positive
two additional patients in a separate ward at the Victoria General site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre; fewer than ten people have tested positive
two additional patients in a ward at New Waterford Consolidated Hospital; a total of 13 patients have now tested positive
two additional patients in a separate ward at Northside General Hospital; fewer than 10 people have tested positive
one additional patient in a ward at the Halifax Infirmary; a total of 17 patients have now tested positive
Remote learning begins, HEPA filters arrive for schools
Monday marked the beginning of remote learning for most public school students.
The province delayed the start of the new term for several days, and opted to switch to virtual learning for one week, as COVID-19 cases surged after the holidays.
In an interview with Global News Morning today, Education Minister Becky Druhan said “most” of the HEPA filters ordered for schools arrived over the weekend and the remainder was coming later in the day. She pointed out the province will spend the next week while students are out of the classroom to install those filters.
As well, she said schools are “refreshing” supplies of three-ply cotton masks, which will be “available and accessible to students so when they return.” Teachers, she added, will also have access to cotton masks, as well as surgical masks.
She said while the pandemic has shown that nothing is certain, the province is striving to indeed return to in-person learning next Monday as currently scheduled.
“I wouldn’t in the middle of it want to say with a 100 per cent certainty that we’re going back on the 17th but we’re very committed to working towards that,” Druhan said.
“And all indicators are that that is the day that we’ll go back to in-person learning and we’re working very hard to make sure that happens.”
5:29 NS Education Minister talks virtual learning
NS Education Minister talks virtual learning
Support for small business
Meanwhile, businesses that are affected by the latest public health restrictions can now apply for financial support though the province’s Sector Impact Support Program.
It provides a one-time grant to help small business owners.
Businesses such as restaurants, bars, gyms, live performance centres and recreation facilities would qualify.
Eligible businesses will receive a grant of $2,500, $5,000 or $7,500 based on gross payroll cost or gross revenue in November 2021. Businesses must have had a minimum gross monthly payroll of $1,000 or a minimum of $2,500 of gross monthly revenue. They must also have an active Canada Revenue Agency and a gross revenue of $5 million or less in the most recently filed tax year.
1:22 COVID-19: Nova Scotia introduces ‘sector impact support program’ for businesses impacted by restrictions
COVID-19: Nova Scotia introduces ‘sector impact support program’ for businesses impacted by restrictions – Dec 17, 2021
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
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