Nova Scotia reports eight new COVID-19 cases Saturday; case confirmed at Dartmouth long-term care facility

Should Maritimes send vaccines to other provinces? With case numbers still relatively low in the Maritimes, some doctors are questioning whether we have the vaccine capacity to give doses to other provinces. CTV's Sarah Plowman reports.

HALIFAX — Health officials in Nova Scotia are reporting eight new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday.

Five of the new cases were identified in the province's Eastern zone. Three of them are related to travel outside of Atlantic Canada, one is related to international travel, and one is a close contact of a previously reported case.

One of the cases is in the province's Western zone and is related to travel outside of Atlantic Canada.

Two of the new cases were identified in the province's Central zone. One is related to international travel and the other is a close contact of a previously reported case.

The close contact case in Central Zone is a staff member at Glasgow Hall, a long-term care home in Dartmouth. Nova Scotia health says most residents of this facility have been fully vaccinated with two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. As a precaution, residents are being isolated and cared for in their rooms and all residents and staff are being tested.

“We know the COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing serious illness and death from COVID-19 and thankfully almost all of the residents at Glasgow Hall have been fully vaccinated,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health. “Based on recent experience in Canada, I anticipate that the vaccine will prevent widespread transmission in this facility and that anyone who does contract the virus will only have mild symptoms.”

Six of the province's previously reported cases are now considered resolved, with the total number of active cases increasing to 44.

“Our priority during the COVID-19 pandemic has been to protect our most vulnerable Nova Scotians,” said Premier Iain Rankin. “News of a case in a long-term care home is very troubling. Public health and the impacted facility are working quickly to make sure this is contained. While the vaccine rollout to all our long-term care facilities is almost complete, this is another reminder that COVID-19 is still here and we all need to be vigilant.”

N.S. COVID-19 CASE DATA

The Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 2,337 tests on Friday. The province has completed 464,363 tests since the pandemic began.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 1,800 COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia. Of those, 1,689 cases have recovered and 67 people have died due to the novel coronavirus.

There are currently two people in hospital due to COVID-19, with no one in the intensive care unit.

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 2, 2021.

VACCINE UPDATE

Nova Scotia's COVID-19 online dashboard provides an update on the amount of vaccines that have been administered to date.

As of Friday, 194,892 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 138,268 were first doses and 31,583 Nova Scotians have received their second dose.

As of Tuesday, the province has received a total of 264,700 doses of COVID-19 vaccine since Dec. 15, 2020, and anticipate a delivery of 55,310 doses this week.

NOVA SCOTIANS ENCOURAGED TO SEEK ASYMPTOMATIC TESTING

Public health is strongly encouraging Nova Scotians to seek asymptomatic COVID-19 testing, particularly if they have had several social interactions, even with their own social circle.

COVID-19 tests can be booked through the provinces online self-assessment COVID-19 tool, or by calling 811.

People can also visit one of Nova Scotia’s many rapid pop-up testing sites that continue to operate throughout the province.

COVID ALERT APP

Canada’s COVID-19 Alert app is available in Nova Scotia.

The app, which can be downloaded through the Apple App Store or Google Play, notifies users if they may have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

LIST OF SYMPTOMS

Anyone who experiences a fever or new or worsening cough, or two or more of the following new or worsening symptoms, is encouraged to take an online test or call 811 to determine if they need to be tested for COVID-19: