As the number of active cases of the novel coronavirus continues to drop in Nova Scotia, the IWK Health Centre and Nova Scotia Health Authority will resume day and short-stay surgeries starting Monday.
Premier Stephen McNeil made the announcement during Wednesday’s afternoon COVID-19 press briefing.
“(Health) Minister (Randy) Delorey and his department will continue to work with our health partners on gradually opening up the health-care system, and this is a good start,” McNeil said,
“For those of you who had appointments booked, it’s our collective hope that you will have them rescheduled in the very near future.”
For the second day straight, Nova Scotia reported one new case of COVID-19 and one new death at Northwood. There have now been 51 deaths connected to COVID-19 at the facility.
Nova Scotia’s COVID-19 case total now sits at 1,045, 32 of which are active. No new recoveries were reported Wednesday. That figure remains at 956.
Twenty-two of the province’s active cases are at Northwood. The province says the facility has 19 residents and three staff members with active cases.
Speaking at Wednesday’s afternoon press briefing, chief public health officer Dr. Robert Strang said both new cases reported over the past two days are connected to Northwood.
He said it’s the first time the province has gone two days in a row without a case connected to Northwood.
“That’s good news,” Strang said. “We’re continuing our good progress, but we still need to continue to watch that epidemiology unfold over the coming days.
“But it’s certainly a testament to the work that everybody in Nova Scotia has done adhering to public health rules.”
Nova Scotia’s new normal
During Wednesday’s press briefing, Strang spoke to what Nova Scotia’s “new normal” will look like.
He acknowledged the desire Nova Scotians are feeling towards things getting back to normal, but noted that won’t be possible until there are high levels of immunity among the population.
“We have to stay vigilant in fighting this virus,” he said. “We have to find a new way and adapt to this new normal.
“We have to think about how we live with COVID-19.”
Part of that new normal, Strang said, will entail having businesses, community settings and care environments support the practice of personal preventive measures.
He said frequent handwashing, sneezing and coughing into your sleeve, not touching your face, cleaning surfaces with a disinfectant product, practising physical distancing and limiting non-essential travel, and staying home if you’re feeling unwell will all become part of the province’s new normal.
“These measures will need to be in place for the months ahead as we enter into recovery, but it is part of how we live with COVID – find an appropriate level of control that allows us to continue to stay in the recovery,” Strang said.
Earlier Wednesday, federal public health officials announced that they were officially recommending that people wear non-medical masks to help protect others from COVID-19 in situations where physical distancing isn’t possible.
READ MORE: Coronavirus: Non-medical masks now recommended for Canadians, officials say
Strang noted that evidence on the matter has evolved and we’re currently at a place where we weren’t several weeks ago.
“The evidence wasn’t there. We weren’t clear on the evidence around the ability of people to be asymptomatic spreaders,” he said. “Non-medical masks can help reduce the spread of the virus.”
Strang noted mask use is only effective if they’re worn properly and that they should be worn in situations where physically distancing cannot be maintained.
“Masks are part of a package of the preventative measures,” he said. “Masks alone will not prevent the spread of the virus in our communities.”
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
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.
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