Number of active COVID-19 cases drops to 5; Nova Scotia renews state of emergency

Katie Kempton, a laboratory technologist at LifeLabs, demonstrates one of the steps taken when a specimen is tested for COVID-19 at the company's lab, in Surrey, B.C., on March 26, 2020. (CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

HALIFAX — The number of active COVID-19 cases has dropped from six to five in Nova Scotia as the province reports another resolved case of the virus.

The Nova Scotia government also reported Friday that it is renewing the state of emergency. The new order will take effect at noon on Sunday and extend to noon on Sept. 6, unless it is extended or terminated.

The QEII Health Sciences Centre's microbiology lab completed 641 Nova Scotia tests on Thursday. No new cases were identified.

The province last reported a new case on Thursday, in the Nova Scotia Health Authority’s central zone. It is under investigation by Public Health. No other details about the case have been released.

One person is still in hospital as a result of COVID-19. They are not in the intensive care unit.

To date, Nova Scotia has 70,315 negative test results.

There are 1,077 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia, but 1,008 cases are now considered resolved, and 64 people have died, leaving five active cases in the province.

Among the 64 Nova Scotians who died from COVID-19 are 53 residents of the Northwood long-term care home in Halifax. The outbreak at Northwood is considered resolved.

The province's confirmed cases range in age from under 10 to over 90.

Sixty-one per cent of cases are female and 39 per cent are male.

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.

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 to Nova Scotia from outside the Atlantic region is also required to self-isolate for 14 days and must fill out a self-declaration form before coming to the province.

Residents of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador are not required to self-isolate when travelling to Nova Scotia, but they must be prepared to provide proof of their place of residency at provincial borders.

Visitors from outside the Atlantic region who have already self-isolated in another Atlantic province for 14 days may travel to Nova Scotia without having to self-isolate again.

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:

The provincial state of emergency, which was first declared on March 22, has been extended to Aug. 23.