N.S. reports 581 cases of COVID-19 Monday, testing changes come into effect - CTV News Atlantic | Canada News Media
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N.S. reports 581 cases of COVID-19 Monday, testing changes come into effect – CTV News Atlantic

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3 years ago

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HALIFAX –

The province of Nova Scotia is reporting 581 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday.

Public health says there are 420 cases in Central Zone, 62 cases in Eastern Zone, 42 cases in Northern Zone and 57 cases in Western Zone.

There were 4,851 tests completed on Sunday, Dec. 26.

Public health is also reporting an outbreak at a ward at the Halifax Infirmary site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre. There are currently less than five patients impacted. They are being closely monitored and other infection prevention and control measures are being put in place.

Nova Scotia Public Health is experiencing delays in follow-up because of a spike in testing and positive cases. The province is asking positive cases to contact their close contacts. The province says detailed follow-ups are being prioritized to support contact tracing in long-term care, healthcare facilities, correctional facilities, shelters and other group settings.

The province’s online COVID-19 dashboard will not be updated until Wednesday.

MAJOR SHIFT IN N.S. COVID-19 TESTING STRATEGY

Going forward, lab-processed COVID-19 tests – known as PCR tests – will be reserved for people deemed highest risk, while the rest of Nova Scotians who are close contacts, or have symptoms, will be asked to book an appointment to pick up a rapid test kit to test themselves at home.

The change comes as lab resources hit capacity and COVID-19 cases continue to climb.

“Know when you do need a test, the test will be there for you. It’s just going to look a little different,” says Holly Gillis, Public Health Manager with Public Health Mobile Units with Nova Scotia Health Authority.

Rapid take home test kits can be picked up by appointment at one of 30 test centres across the province after calling 811, or completing a COVID screening self-assessment. Each box contains five tests, which allows for a person to test themselves every 24 to 48 hours for a week.

Public health is urging people not to hoard tests and to use tests when necessary – such as if they have symptoms or have been identified as a close contact – and to limit contacts.

“Take-home rapid appointments are really for people who have symptoms, or who are identified as a close contact,” says Gillis.

Anyone who tests positive is being asked to self-isolate and notify their close contacts as well as public health by emailing PublicHealthPOCT@nshealth.ca and include your name, date of birth, health card number and contact information.

To be eligible for a PCR test you must have symptoms, or have been identified as close contacts, and be one of the following:

– 50 years and over

– Unvaccinated (less than full vaccine series) and age 12 or older

– Live or work in the following congregate settings:

  • Long-term care home
  • Residential care facilities
  • Corrections
  • Shelters and transition houses
  • Acute care settings

– Adult First Nations and African Nova Scotians

– Front line health care workers with direct patient care (i.e. family physicians, nurse practitioners, dentist) and First Responders

– Adults 18-49 year with one or more risk factors for severe disease:

  • Obesity (BMI >30 kg/m2)
  • Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus
  • Chronic lung disease, including poorly controlled asthma (e.g. on medication or hospitalization within the past 12 months)
  • Chronic kidney disease, including those on dialysis
  • Downs Syndrome
  • Motor Neuron Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Myasthenia Gravis, Huntington’s Disease
  • Immunocompromised or receiving immunosuppressive therapy
  • Children and youth under age 18 with any of the following conditions:
  • history of prematurity < 29 weeks
  • Chronic lung disease including chronic lung disease of prematurity, cystic fibrosis, and severe asthma
  • Downs Syndrome
  • Motor Neuron Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Myasthenia Gravis
  • Obesity (BMI >30kg/m2)

– Pregnant

PCR tests are also available for people required to get one for a medical procedure or partially or unvaccinated travellers who need two negative PCR tests to stop isolating after at least seven days.

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Carry On Canadian Business. Carry On!

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10 hours ago

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October 22, 2024

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business to start in Canada

Human Resources Officers must be very busy these days what with the general turnover of employees in our retail and business sectors. It is hard enough to find skilled people let alone potential employees willing to be trained. Then after the training, a few weeks go by then they come to you and ask for a raise. You refuse as there simply is no excess money in the budget and away they fly to wherever they come from, trained but not willing to put in the time to achieve that wanted raise.

I have had potentials come in and we give them a test to see if they do indeed know how to weld, polish or work with wood. 2-10 we hire, and one of those is gone in a week or two. Ask that they want overtime, and their laughter leaving the building is loud and unsettling. Housing starts are doing well but way behind because those trades needed to finish a project simply don’t come to the site, with delay after delay. Some people’s attitudes are just too funny. A recent graduate from a Ivy League university came in for an interview. The position was mid-management potential, but when we told them a three month period was needed and then they would make the big bucks they disappeared as fast as they arrived.

Government agencies are really no help, sending us people unsuited or unwilling to carry out the jobs we offer. Handing money over to staffing firms whose referrals are weak and ineffectual. Perhaps with the Fall and Winter upon us, these folks will have to find work and stop playing on the golf course or cottaging away. Tried to hire new arrivals in Canada but it is truly difficult to find someone who has a real identity card and is approved to live and work here. Who do we hire? Several years ago my father’s firm was rocking and rolling with all sorts of work. It was a summer day when the immigration officers arrived and 30+ employees hit the bricks almost immediately. The investigation that followed had threats of fines thrown at us by the officials. Good thing we kept excellent records, photos and digital copies. We had to prove the illegal documents given to us were as good as the real McCoy.

Restauranteurs, builders, manufacturers, finishers, trades-based firms, and warehousing are all suspect in hiring illegals, yet that becomes secondary as Toronto increases its minimum wage again bringing our payroll up another $120,000. Survival in Canada’s financial and business sectors is questionable for many. Good luck Chuck!. at least your carbon tax refund check should be arriving soon.

Steven Kaszab
Bradford, Ontario
skaszab@yahoo.ca

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Imperial to cut prices in NWT community after low river prevented resupply by barges

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14 hours ago

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October 22, 2024

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NORMAN WELLS, N.W.T. – Imperial Oil says it will temporarily reduce its fuel prices in a Northwest Territories community that has seen costs skyrocket due to low water on the Mackenzie River forcing the cancellation of the summer barge resupply season.

Imperial says in a Facebook post it will cut the air transportation portion that’s included in its wholesale price in Norman Wells for diesel fuel, or heating oil, from $3.38 per litre to $1.69 per litre, starting Tuesday.

The air transportation increase, it further states, will be implemented over a longer period.

It says Imperial is closely monitoring how much fuel needs to be airlifted to the Norman Wells area to prevent runouts until the winter road season begins and supplies can be replenished.

Gasoline and heating fuel prices approached $5 a litre at the start of this month.

Norman Wells’ town council declared a local emergency on humanitarian grounds last week as some of its 700 residents said they were facing monthly fuel bills coming to more than $5,000.

“The wholesale price increase that Imperial has applied is strictly to cover the air transportation costs. There is no Imperial profit margin included on the wholesale price. Imperial does not set prices at the retail level,” Imperial’s statement on Monday said.

The statement further said Imperial is working closely with the Northwest Territories government on ways to help residents in the near term.

“Imperial Oil’s decision to lower the price of home heating fuel offers immediate relief to residents facing financial pressures. This step reflects a swift response by Imperial Oil to discussions with the GNWT and will help ease short-term financial burdens on residents,” Caroline Wawzonek, Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance and Infrastructure, said in a news release Monday.

Wawzonek also noted the Territories government has supported the community with implementation of a fund supporting businesses and communities impacted by barge cancellations. She said there have also been increases to the Senior Home Heating Subsidy in Norman Wells, and continued support for heating costs for eligible Income Assistance recipients.

Additionally, she said the government has donated $150,000 to the Norman Wells food bank.

In its declaration of a state of emergency, the town said the mayor and council recognized the recent hike in fuel prices has strained household budgets, raised transportation costs, and affected local businesses.

It added that for the next three months, water and sewer service fees will be waived for all residents and businesses.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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U.S. vote has Canadian business leaders worried about protectionist policies: KPMG

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14 hours ago

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October 22, 2024

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TORONTO – A new report says many Canadian business leaders are worried about economic uncertainties related to the looming U.S. election.

The survey by KPMG in Canada of 735 small- and medium-sized businesses says 87 per cent fear the Canadian economy could become “collateral damage” from American protectionist policies that lead to less favourable trade deals and increased tariffs

It says that due to those concerns, 85 per cent of business leaders in Canada polled are reviewing their business strategies to prepare for a change in leadership.

The concerns are primarily being felt by larger Canadian companies and sectors that are highly integrated with the U.S. economy, such as manufacturing, automotive, transportation and warehousing, energy and natural resources, as well as technology, media and telecommunications.

Shaira Nanji, a KPMG Law partner in its tax practice, says the prospect of further changes to economic and trade policies in the U.S. means some Canadian firms will need to look for ways to mitigate added costs and take advantage of potential trade relief provisions to remain competitive.

Both presidential candidates have campaigned on protectionist policies that could cause uncertainty for Canadian trade, and whoever takes the White House will be in charge during the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement in 2026.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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