Nova Scotia has seen a decrease in active COVID-19 cases despite 30 new ones being identified by the province on Thursday.
Of the new cases, 27 were identified in the central zone, while two were identified in the western zone and one in the eastern zone.
There are now a total of 579 cases in Nova Scotia. Of those cases, 400 are active. There were 409 active cases on Wednesday.
The total breakdown of where cases have been identified in Nova Scotia is as follows:
- Central: 453
- Western: 48
- Eastern: 43
- Northern: 35
The QEII Health Sciences Centre’s microbiology lab completed 1,065 Nova Scotia tests on Wednesday. To date, Nova Scotia has 18,453 negative test results.
READ MORE: Nova Scotia likely to hit its COVID-19 peak in late April, early May: Strang
There are now 11 patients in hospital, with four in an intensive care unit. There were nine in hospital on Wednesday.
Forty-six per cent of cases involve male patients and 55 per cent involve female patients.
42 Nova Scotia long-term residents have COVID-19
During Thursday’s press briefing, chief public health officer Dr. Robert Strang announced that the province will begin reporting the number of COVID-19 cases at its long-term care facilities on a daily basis.
“Those numbers are collected and reported as of a certain point in time early in the day,” Strang noted. “We will stick with the numbers that we get … first thing in the day.”
The province confirmed there are seven licensed long-term care homes in Nova Scotia with cases of COVID-19, involving 42 residents and 23 staff.
Of the 42 residents who have tested positive, 38 are at the Northwood long-term care facility in Halifax. Twenty-one staff members have also tested positive.
Strang says Northwood is isolating the known cases from residents on the floor they’re on. He also said the facility has created a COVID-19 treatment unit for anyone who becomes more severely ill.
“They have a very high level of skill to be able to treat people from within their facility,” Strang said, adding there are currently three residents currently in that facility.
Strang says several of the residents who have tested positive remain asymptomatic or only have mild symptoms.
“Even in a population that’s at increased risk for severe disease, what we’re seeing by and large is a mild disease,” Strang said.
“But that doesn’t mean we don’t have to still apply all the necessary outbreak control precautions that we can.”
More potential COVID-19 exposure on bus routes
The Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) issued another advisory on Thursday about potential exposure to COVID-19 on Halifax Transit buses.
The NSHA said people travelling on the following routes may have been exposed:
- Route #2 Fairview from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on April 6, 8, 9, 11
- Route #21 Timberlea from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on April 6, 8, 9, 11
The NSHA says they are contacting anyone known to be a close contact of the person or the persons confirmed to have COVID-19.
A similar advisory was issued on Wednesday, warning of potential coronavirus exposure on buses:
- Route #61 to Bridge Terminal/Halifax between 5 pm – 8 pm on April 11
- Route #10 to Dalhousie via Bridge Terminal between 5 pm – 8 pm on April 11
The health authority did not indicate whether the potential exposure would have been through a bus driver or a passenger.
Strang reiterated that buses are still being considered an essential service.
“I know HRM has taken some steps to ensure there’s a certain number of people on the buses and the drivers are protected,” Strang said.
Premier McNeil not considering layoffs
A day after the Halifax Regional Municipality announced it would be laying off 1,480 city workers, Premier Stephen McNeil said the province is not considering doing the same.
“We don’t see that that’ll be required at this time,” McNeil said. “We’ve called some of those seasonal workers back now, depending on what sectors they’re in.
“But we are not contemplating any layoffs.”
READ MORE: Halifax to lay off 1,480 casual, seasonal employees after deferring tax collection until June
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.