Nova Scotia reported two new cases of COVID-19 Friday as health officials noted that the province appears to have made it through the holiday period “OK.”
One case is located in the northern zone and the other is located in the central zone.
Both are close contacts of previously reported cases.
“It’s been two weeks since New Years and it looks like, so far, that we’ve made it through OK,” said Premier Stephen McNeil at a briefing on Friday.
Between Jan. 1 and Jan. 15, the province has reported only 65 cases of the novel coronavirus.
McNeil and Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health, confirmed that the province had administered 7,600 vaccinations as of Thursday.
That includes 2,200 health care workers who have now received their second dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
Nova Scotia will continue to expand its vaccination rollout next week, McNeil said, with clinics being established in Cape Breton and Truro.
Next week, the health department will be establishing new vaccination clinics across the province and vaccinate long-term care residents in Cape Breton and the Truro-area.
The province will also start publishing COVID-19 vaccination numbers twice-weekly — “if not more so,” Strang said — walking back statements made earlier this week that the province would only provide updates on a weekly basis.
Rules for rotational workers come into effect
Strang also stressed that new mandatory testing rules are now in effect for rotational workers.
The province has been concerned about high numbers of COVID-19 cases in provinces like Alberta, where many Nova Scotians work.
Earlier this week, Strang said that only about a third of rotational workers are getting tested as the province started offering voluntary testing last month.
But as of Friday, rotational workers will now need to get a COVID-19 test on the first day they arrive in Nova Scotia and a second test between days five and seven of their modified self-isolation period.
Public Health said audits will be done and if they do not get their test, rotational workers will be phoned as a reminder to get the second test. If they fail to get a second test, they will be fined $1,000.
Between the start of December and Jan. 12, officials said 21 cases of COVID-19, or 9.4 per cent, have been rotational workers.
To get tested, rotational workers must book appointments through the online self-assessment form and cannot visit walk-in sites.
As a result of two additional recoveries reported on Friday, there remain 32 active cases in the province.
Since the pandemic began, there have been 1,550 cases of the coronavirus, from which 1,453 people have recovered.
Officials say 65 people have died as a result of the virus and there is currently no one in the hospital at this time.
The province completed 2,010 COVID-19 tests on Thursday, bumping the total number of tests completed by Nova Scotia to 260,712.
With files from Global News’ Karla Renic and Alicia Draus