Starting Friday, Nova Scotia has expanded the symptoms it is asking residents to monitor for as signs of COVID-19.
The decision was made to bring the province in-line with others across Canada and has been informed by the growing knowledge medical experts have gathered on the novel coronavirus.
READ MORE: Nova Scotia not taking phased approached to reopening economy, premier says
“As we move out of the first pandemic wave, it remains important to test anyone who has symptoms that could be due to COVID-19,” said Dr. Robert Strang in a press release on Friday.
The expanded list of symptoms include:
- fever (i.e. chills, sweats)
- cough or worsening of a previous cough
- sore throat
- headache
- shortness of breath
- muscle aches
- sneezing
- nasal congestion/runny nose
- hoarse voice
- diarrhea
- unusual fatigue
- loss of sense of smell or taste
- red, purple or blueish lesions on the feet, toes or fingers without clear cause
The province also confirmed on Friday that they detected two new cases of COVID-19 in the province, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1,048.
Strang said that both of the new cases are connected to Northwood Manor in Halifax. One is a staff member and one is a resident.
However, two recoveries in the same period means the total number of active cases in Nova Scotia holds steady at 29.
Eight people remain in hospital with four of those in intensive care.
There were no COVID-19-related deaths reported on Friday, meaning that figure remains at 58.
READ MORE: Active cases of COVID-19 continue to decrease in Nova Scotia, 1 more death at Northwood reported
The QEII Health Sciences Centre’s microbiology lab completed 427 tests on May 21 and it continues to operate 24 hours a day.
There are two licensed long-term care homes and unlicensed senior facilities in Nova Scotia with active cases of COVID-19.
One of them is Northwood, where there are currently 16 residents and four staff with active cases.
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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