The number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Northwood Manor in Halifax has climbed to 84 as of Friday.
An update from the company says that 51 residents at the facility have now tested positive, an increase of 9 since results were released on Thursday.
In addition, 33 staff members at the Halifax long-term care facility have now tested positive. That’s an increase of 7 since Thursday.
READ MORE: 4th death connected to COVID-19 reported in Nova Scotia, state of emergency extended
Northwood says that testing is ongoing and that they continue to test more of their health services staff.
The latest figures are part of an ongoing trend of long term care facilities being at the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nova Scotia.
As of Friday, there were eight licensed long-term care homes in Nova Scotia with cases of COVID-19. There were seven on Thursday.
That includes at least 12 employees and two residents at the Admiral Long Term Care Centre.
Chief public health officer Dr. Robert Strang says the province will begin reporting the number of COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia long-term care facilities on a daily basis.
Four people in Nova Scotia have died from COVID-19; a woman in her 80s in Cape Breton, a woman in her 70s in Cape Breton, a woman in her 90s in Cape Breton and a man in his 80s in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
All four had underlying medical conditions.
As of Friday 606 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.
READ MORE: 2 more employees at Dartmouth long-term care home test positive for COVID-19
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.
–With files from Global News’ Graeme Benjamin