Nova Scotia reports 49 new COVID-19 cases Monday, active total drops to 894

Encouraging COVID-19 numbers in N.S. Though numbers are still relatively high, Nova Scotia reports 49 new COVID-19 cases Monday – which has some hopeful. Sarah Plowman reports.

HALIFAX — Health officials in Nova Scotia are reporting 49 new COVID-19 cases Monday, with the active total dropping to 894.

Of the new cases, 41 are in the Central Zone, and eight are in the Eastern Zone.

"The number of positive cases being reported today is lower," said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health. "While that is a good sign, our testing numbers are also down today. Our testing centres are open, and I encourage those that are out to stop in and get tested."

On Monday night, Public Health issued potential exposures notifications for several locations in the Central Zone. You can find a full list of exposures on the province's website.

Public Health says there is still evidence of community spread in the province's Central Zone and in Sydney. Northern and Western Zones continue to be monitored for signs of community spread.

Nova Scotia Premier Iain Rankin also announced that he has been vaccinated.

"Today, I received my first dose of vaccine," said Rankin. "The spirit at the vaccine clinics is extraordinary. I can't thank front-line workers enough for the important work they're doing to ensure that we are all protected."

98 people have recovered from COVID-19 since Sunday.

CASE DATA

On Sunday, Nova Scotia labs processed 4,364 tests, and a total of 782,389 since the start of the pandemic.

There have been 5,335 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia. Of those, 4,362 people have recovered, and 79 have died due to COVID-19.

There are cases confirmed across the province, but most have been identified in the Central zone, which contains the Halifax Regional Municipality.

The provincial government says cumulative cases by zone may change as data is updated in Panorama, the province’s electronic information system.

The numbers reflect where a person lives and not where their sample was collected.

The provincial state of emergency, which was first declared on March 22, 2020, has been extended to May 30, 2021.