HALIFAX —
As Nova Scotia reported no new cases of COVID-19 for the first time in over two months, the province also announced it is increasing the social gathering limit, and will allow campgrounds to reopen next month.
“Today we come before you with good news – no new cases to report, zero — that’s exciting,” said Premier Stephen McNeil. “Your sacrifice and your patience and your hard work is paying off.”
The province reported its first three presumptive cases of COVID-19 in mid-March and the numbers continued to grow steadily, peaking around mid-April. The highest number of cases reported in a single day was 55 cases on April 23.
The numbers have dwindled over the past month, with single-digit cases being reported since May 5.
“This is a significant and encouraging milestone,” said Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang. “It hasn’t been easy, but we are seeing positive results.”
Gathering limit increased to 10
The province has slowly been easing some of the COVID-19 restrictions and on Friday announced that 10 people can now gather in a group, effective immediately. Before Friday, only five people could gather.
However, Strang said the rules around physical distancing still apply; a distance of six feet or two metres must be maintained among those in the group, except for those who are members of the same household or family household bubble.
The household bubble is not expanding at this time. Only two households can “bubble” and they must be mutually exclusive. People in the same “bubble” do not have to practise physical distancing.
“I know many of you wanted to add to the family bubble household, but we are not there yet, sorry, because that involves physical contact, and we will still need to limit that,” said McNeil.
“But 10 of you can gather in the driveway, in the backyard, in the park, or even inside your house, as long as you stay six feet apart.”
The 10-person gathering limit applies both inside and outside.
Weddings and funerals
The province is making an exception for weddings and funeral services held outdoors, which 15 people can attend, in addition to the officiant.
“Our province has experienced a lot of death,” said McNeil. “Families need to come together to celebrate the life of their loved one.”
The 10-person rule still applies to weddings and funerals held indoors.
“I hate to be a damper on these joyous events, but at this time, we need to make sure that numbers are limited, so the officiant is the only extra person,” clarified Strang. “If you want a photographer or a DJ or something like that, they would be included in your number of 10 indoors or 15 outdoors.”
Events, sports, faith gatherings and businesses
Strang said the 10-person gathering limit applies to social gatherings and arts and culture events, such as theatre performances and dance recitals.
“If it makes sense to have a musician host a small performance with nine other people all maintaining physical distancing, that would be fine,” he said.
It also applies to faith gatherings, though drive-in services are allowed, provided those in attendance remain in their vehicles.
Strang said faith gatherings can be held inside or outside, with physical distancing.
“It’s important that they continue to follow other safety precautions such as not passing things like collection plates or communion between people,” he said.
He also discouraged against singing.
“There’s now evidence that people singing actually significantly increases the spreading of respiratory droplets, increasing the risk of transmitting the virus that causes COVID-19,” he explained.
As for sports, he said 10 people can practice on a soccer field, for example, as long as they keep their distance from one another.
“But they can’t play a typical game of soccer because that would involve close contact,” said Strang. “They also cannot have two separate groups of 10 on the same field.”
The 10-person rule also applies to businesses whose main function is gatherings, such as theatres, concerts, festivals and sporting activities, and to businesses that are too small to ensure physical distancing.
Strang said it doesn’t apply to fitness facilities, but that they must have a plan that addresses how they control numbers to ensure social distancing, among other things like handwashing and increased hygiene.
Gyms can reopen on June 5, along with most businesses that were forced to close at the start of the pandemic in March.
Campgrounds
The province will allow private campgrounds to open on June 5, for all types of campers.
Private campgrounds can only operate at 50 per cent capacity and must ensure public health protocols are followed, including adequate distance between campsites.
“One thing I’ve discovered is Nova Scotia has a lot of avid campers and we want you to get back out and enjoy the outdoors,” said McNeil.
Provincial campgrounds will open to Nova Scotians on June 15. The reservation line will open on June 8.
A schedule of which campgrounds are open for reservations and the days they open can be found on the provincial parks website. Reservations can be made online or by phone starting at 9 a.m. on those days.
Campgrounds will not accept reservations from out-of-province visitors and only registered campers will be allowed to enter campgrounds.
The number of available campsites has been reduced by 30 per cent to allow for physical distancing and a minimum of 20 feet between individual campsites.
The province says common areas will be cleaned more frequently, signs to promote physical distancing and other healthy practices will be posted, and there will be changes to the on-site check-in process to minimize physical contact with park employees.
All provincial park events are cancelled until at least June 30.
Playgrounds and group facilities at campgrounds will remain closed until public health restrictions are lifted.
Group camping sites, yurts and cabins will be closed this season.
The province says pools can start maintenance work to prepare for reopening, likely in time for summer, though a date has not been set.
Sleepover camps will not be permitted this year.
“When you’re bringing numbers of kids together for a week or two weeks, they’re sleeping in bunk houses together, eating together, activities throughout the day, there’s just too much of a level of risk there,” said Strang.
Slow, measured steps
Strang noted that the rules might be confusing to some Nova Scotians who wonder why they can go to a restaurant but can’t hug their grandchildren.
He explained different settings and activities come with different levels of risk, which is taken into consideration when making decisions.
When deciding whether an activity or gathering carries a low or high risk, Strang said he considers how many people would be involved, the chance of close contact, whether physical distancing can be maintained, and whether the setting would allow for the spread of COVID-19.
“This is about taking measured steps so we can reopen … we have to do this slowly and carefully,” he said.
“It is not gone, even though our epidemiology looks very good. It is still here, it’s still circulating in other part of the country and internationally.”
1,055 cases; 978 recovered
The QEII Health Sciences Centre’s microbiology lab completed 1,034 tests on Thursday.
No new cases were identified.
To date, Nova Scotia has 40,914 negative test results, 1,055 positive COVID-19 test results and 59 deaths.
Fifty-two of the 59 deaths involved residents at Halifax’s Northwood long-term care home, which has seen the most significant outbreak of the virus in Nova Scotia.
In a news release, the province said one more person has recovered from COVID-19, for a total of 978 recoveries.
However, in the same news release, the province also indicated that two more Northwood residents have recovered from the virus.
Thursday, the province reported 16 active cases at Northwood, involving 12 residents and four staff members.
Friday, the province reported 14 active cases at Northwood, involving 10 residents and four staff members.
CTV News reached out to the province for clarification on these numbers and received the following response:
“As. Dr Strang has previously stated, data is received from different sources and entered into our system. We report the information each day, but there may be delays that result in the data not reconciling.”
Based on Friday’s numbers, there are 18 active cases in the province, with 14 of those cases linked to Northwood, leaving four outside of Northwood.
There are still eight people in hospital and three patients in the intensive care unit.
CTV News reached out to the province for clarification on hospitalizations and whether there are Northwood residents in hospital.
The Department of Health and Wellness provided this statement on Wednesday:
“Throughout the pandemic, there have been residents of [long-term care facilities] in Nova Scotia admitted to hospital due to COVID-19. However, due to the small number of these hospitalizations, we cannot provide more information about the current cases for privacy reasons.”
The province’s confirmed cases range in age from under 10 to over 90.
Sixty-two per cent of cases are female and 38 per cent are male.
The cases are broken down by the Nova Scotia Health Authority’s four zones. The central zone, which contains the Halifax Regional Municipality, has seen the most significant number of cases:
western zone: 54 cases
central zone: 905 cases
northern zone: 45 cases
eastern zone: 51 cases
Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 is required to self-isolate at home, away from the public for 14 days.
Anyone who travels outside of Nova Scotia must also self-isolate for two weeks.
The provincial state of emergency, which was first declared on March 22, has been extended to June 14.
List of symptoms expanded
Last week, the province expanded the list of symptoms for which it is screening.
Anyone who experiences one of the following symptoms is encouraged to take an online test to determine if they should call 811 for further assessment:
TORONTO – Health Canada has authorized Moderna’s updated COVID-19 vaccine that protects against currently circulating variants of the virus.
The mRNA vaccine, called Spikevax, has been reformulated to target the KP.2 subvariant of Omicron.
It will replace the previous version of the vaccine that was released a year ago, which targeted the XBB.1.5 subvariant of Omicron.
Health Canada recently asked provinces and territories to get rid of their older COVID-19 vaccines to ensure the most current vaccine will be used during this fall’s respiratory virus season.
Health Canada is also reviewing two other updated COVID-19 vaccines but has not yet authorized them.
They are Pfizer’s Comirnaty, which is also an mRNA vaccine, as well as Novavax’s protein-based vaccine.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
TORONTO – Sanniah Jabeen holds a sonogram of the unborn baby she lost after contracting listeria last December. Beneath, it says “love at first sight.”
Jabeen says she believes she and her baby were poisoned by a listeria outbreak linked to some plant-based milks and wants answers. An investigation continues into the recall declared July 8 of several Silk and Great Value plant-based beverages.
“I don’t even have the words. I’m still processing that,” Jabeen says of her loss. She was 18 weeks pregnant when she went into preterm labour.
The first infection linked to the recall was traced back to August 2023. One year later on Aug. 12, 2024, the Public Health Agency of Canada said three people had died and 20 were infected.
The number of cases is likely much higher, says Lawrence Goodridge, Canada Research Chair in foodborne pathogen dynamics at the University of Guelph: “For every person known, generally speaking, there’s typically 20 to 25 or maybe 30 people that are unknown.”
The case count has remained unchanged over the last month, but the Public Health Agency of Canada says it won’t declare the outbreak over until early October because of listeria’s 70-day incubation period and the reporting delays that accompany it.
Danone Canada’s head of communications said in an email Wednesday that the company is still investigating the “root cause” of the outbreak, which has been linked to a production line at a Pickering, Ont., packaging facility.
Pregnant people, adults over 60, and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk of becoming sick with severe listeriosis. If the infection spreads to an unborn baby, Health Canada says it can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth or life-threatening illness in a newborn.
The Canadian Press spoke to 10 people, from the parents of a toddler to an 89-year-old senior, who say they became sick with listeria after drinking from cartons of plant-based milk stamped with the recalled product code. Here’s a look at some of their experiences.
Sanniah Jabeen, 32, Toronto
Jabeen says she regularly drank Silk oat and almond milk in smoothies while pregnant, and began vomiting seven times a day and shivering at night in December 2023. She had “the worst headache of (her) life” when she went to the emergency room on Dec. 15.
“I just wasn’t functioning like a normal human being,” Jabeen says.
Told she was dehydrated, Jabeen was given fluids and a blood test and sent home. Four days later, she returned to hospital.
“They told me that since you’re 18 weeks, there’s nothing you can do to save your baby,” says Jabeen, who moved to Toronto from Pakistan five years ago.
Jabeen later learned she had listeriosis and an autopsy revealed her baby was infected, too.
“It broke my heart to read that report because I was just imagining my baby drinking poisoned amniotic fluid inside of me. The womb is a place where your baby is supposed to be the safest,” Jabeen said.
Jabeen’s case is likely not included in PHAC’s count. Jabeen says she was called by Health Canada and asked what dairy and fresh produce she ate – foods more commonly associated with listeria – but not asked about plant-based beverages.
She’s pregnant again, and is due in several months. At first, she was scared to eat, not knowing what caused the infection during her last pregnancy.
“Ever since I learned about the almond, oat milk situation, I’ve been feeling a bit better knowing that it wasn’t something that I did. It was something else that caused it. It wasn’t my fault,” Jabeen said.
She’s since joined a proposed class action lawsuit launched by LPC Avocates against the manufacturers and sellers of Silk and Great Value plant-based beverages. The lawsuit has not yet been certified by a judge.
Natalie Grant and her seven year-old daughter, Bowmanville, Ont.
Natalie Grant says she was in a hospital waiting room when she saw a television news report about the recall. She wondered if the dark chocolate almond milk her daughter drank daily was contaminated.
She had brought the girl to hospital because she was vomiting every half hour, constantly on the toilet with diarrhea, and had severe pain in her abdomen.
“I’m definitely thinking that this is a pretty solid chance that she’s got listeria at this point because I knew she had all the symptoms,” Grant says of seeing the news report.
Once her daughter could hold fluids, they went home and Grant cross-checked the recalled product code – 7825 – with the one on her carton. They matched.
“I called the emerg and I said I’m pretty confident she’s been exposed,” Grant said. She was told to return to the hospital if her daughter’s symptoms worsened. An hour and a half later, her fever spiked, the vomiting returned, her face flushed and her energy plummeted.
Grant says they were sent to a hospital in Ajax, Ont. and stayed two weeks while her daughter received antibiotics four times a day until she was discharged July 23.
“Knowing that my little one was just so affected and how it affected us as a family alone, there’s a bitterness left behind,” Grant said. She’s also joined the proposed class action.
Thelma Feldman, 89, Toronto
Thelma Feldman says she regularly taught yoga to friends in her condo building before getting sickened by listeria on July 2. Now, she has a walker and her body aches. She has headaches and digestive problems.
“I’m kind of depressed,” she says.
“It’s caused me a lot of physical and emotional pain.”
Much of the early days of her illness are a blur. She knows she boarded an ambulance with profuse diarrhea on July 2 and spent five days at North York General Hospital. Afterwards, she remembers Health Canada officials entering her apartment and removing Silk almond milk from her fridge, and volunteers from a community organization giving her sponge baths.
“At my age, 89, I’m not a kid anymore and healing takes longer,” Feldman says.
“I don’t even feel like being with people. I just sit at home.”
Jasmine Jiles and three-year-old Max, Kahnawake Mohawk Territory, Que.
Jasmine Jiles says her three-year-old son Max came down with flu-like symptoms and cradled his ears in what she interpreted as a sign of pain, like the one pounding in her own head, around early July.
When Jiles heard about the recall soon after, she called Danone Canada, the plant-based milk manufacturer, to find out if their Silk coconut milk was in the contaminated batch. It was, she says.
“My son is very small, he’s very young, so I asked what we do in terms of overall monitoring and she said someone from the company would get in touch within 24 to 48 hours,” Jiles says from a First Nations reserve near Montreal.
“I never got a call back. I never got an email”
At home, her son’s fever broke after three days, but gas pains stuck with him, she says. It took a couple weeks for him to get back to normal.
“In hindsight, I should have taken him (to the hospital) but we just tried to see if we could nurse him at home because wait times are pretty extreme,” Jiles says, “and I don’t have child care at the moment.”
Joseph Desmond, 50, Sydney, N.S.
Joseph Desmond says he suffered a seizure and fell off his sofa on July 9. He went to the emergency room, where they ran an electroencephalogram (EEG) test, and then returned home. Within hours, he had a second seizure and went back to hospital.
His third seizure happened the next morning while walking to the nurse’s station.
In severe cases of listeriosis, bacteria can spread to the central nervous system and cause seizures, according to Health Canada.
“The last two months have really been a nightmare,” says Desmond, who has joined the proposed lawsuit.
When he returned home from the hospital, his daughter took a carton of Silk dark chocolate almond milk out of the fridge and asked if he had heard about the recall. By that point, Desmond says he was on his second two-litre carton after finishing the first in June.
“It was pretty scary. Terrifying. I honestly thought I was going to die.”
Cheryl McCombe, 63, Haliburton, Ont.
The morning after suffering a second episode of vomiting, feverish sweats and diarrhea in the middle of the night in early July, Cheryl McCombe scrolled through the news on her phone and came across the recall.
A few years earlier, McCombe says she started drinking plant-based milks because it seemed like a healthier choice to splash in her morning coffee. On June 30, she bought two cartons of Silk cashew almond milk.
“It was on the (recall) list. I thought, ‘Oh my God, I got listeria,’” McCombe says. She called her doctor’s office and visited an urgent care clinic hoping to get tested and confirm her suspicion, but she says, “I was basically shut down at the door.”
Public Health Ontario does not recommend listeria testing for infected individuals with mild symptoms unless they are at risk of developing severe illness, such as people who are immunocompromised, elderly, pregnant or newborn.
“No wonder they couldn’t connect the dots,” she adds, referencing that it took close to a year for public health officials to find the source of the outbreak.
“I am a woman in my 60s and sometimes these signs are of, you know, when you’re vomiting and things like that, it can be a sign in women of a bigger issue,” McCombe says. She was seeking confirmation that wasn’t the case.
Disappointed, with her stomach still feeling off, she says she decided to boost her gut health with probiotics. After a couple weeks she started to feel like herself.
But since then, McCombe says, “I’m back on Kawartha Dairy cream in my coffee.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
VANCOUVER – Mayors and other leaders from several British Columbia communities say the provincial and federal governments need to take “immediate action” to tackle mental health and public safety issues that have reached crisis levels.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says it’s become “abundantly clear” that mental health and addiction issues and public safety have caused crises that are “gripping” Vancouver, and he and other politicians, First Nations leaders and law enforcement officials are pleading for federal and provincial help.
In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier David Eby, mayors say there are “three critical fronts” that require action including “mandatory care” for people with severe mental health and addiction issues.
The letter says senior governments also need to bring in “meaningful bail reform” for repeat offenders, and the federal government must improve policing at Metro Vancouver ports to stop illicit drugs from coming in and stolen vehicles from being exported.
Sim says the “current system” has failed British Columbians, and the number of people dealing with severe mental health and addiction issues due to lack of proper care has “reached a critical point.”
Vancouver Police Chief Adam Palmer says repeat violent offenders are too often released on bail due to a “revolving door of justice,” and a new approach is needed to deal with mentally ill people who “pose a serious and immediate danger to themselves and others.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024
