Nova Scotia reports 2 new cases of COVID-19; 909 people recovered

Nova Scotia Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang provides an update on COVID-19 during a news conference in Halifax on May 13, 2020.

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia continues to see low numbers of COVID-19 this week, with only two new cases announced on Thursday.

The province has been reporting COVID-19 cases in the single digits since May 5.

The QEII Health Sciences Centre's microbiology lab completed 554 tests on Wednesday.

To date, Nova Scotia has 35,004 negative test results.

The province will not be holding a news conference on Thursday. The next news conference is scheduled for Friday afternoon.

66 active cases in the province

A total of 1,026 positive cases have been confirmed in Nova Scotia. Of those cases, 909 people have recovered and their cases are considered resolved. This leaves 66 active cases in the province.

Of the 66 active cases, 44 are connected to long-term care homes. Forty-two of those active cases are at the Northwood long-term care facility in Halifax, which currently has 27 residents and 15 staff members with active cases of COVID-19.

A second facility has a staff member with an active case and a third facility has a resident with an active case.

This leaves 22 active cases of COVID-19 outside long-term care homes.

The province is not reporting any additional deaths at this time. There have been 51 virus-related deaths in Nova Scotia and 45 of those deaths have been at Northwood.

Northwood sees drop in active cases among residents

Northwood has seen the most significant outbreak of COVID-19 in the province, and some staff members have tested positive for the virus this week, but the number of active cases among residents is going down.

On Wednesday, Northwood was reporting 64 residents with active cases of COVID-19. Thirty-seven of those residents have now recovered, with 27 active cases reported on Thursday.

However, two more active cases were reported among staff on Thursday, for a total of 15 cases -- up from 13 on Wednesday.

What we know about the confirmed cases

Nine people are currently in hospital. Four of those patients are in intensive care units.

The confirmed cases of COVID-19 range in age from under 10 to over 90.

Sixty-two per cent of cases are female and 38 per cent are male.

Most cases -- including the two new cases announced Thursday -- are in the central zone, which contains the Halifax Regional Municipality.

The western, northern and eastern zones are reporting no additional cases at this time.

Public health is working to identify and test people who may have come in close contact with the confirmed cases.

Symptoms and self-isolation

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 Nova Scotia must also self-isolate for two weeks.

Nova Scotians who experience two or more of the following symptoms should take an online questionnaire to determine if they should call 811 for further assessment: