‘We’ve come so far’: Dr. Strang looks back on 1 year of COVID in Nova Scotia

On Sunday, March 15, 2020, Nova Scotia announced its first three presumptive cases of COVID-19 — making it the last Canadian province to record cases of the novel coronavirus.

The three people had recently returned from Australia, California and “throughout Europe,” and were not connected. At the time, COVID-19 was still considered a travel-related issue, and only those who had travelled could even qualify for a test.

But the writing was on the wall.

“Well I think we knew right away that a year ago, that weekend we had the first three cases, we knew what was coming.”

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In a socially distant one-on-one interview with Global News, chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang looks back on the year that has passed.

“I think we’d seen some indications that it was it started in China, the impacts in Wuhan and then in Italy. So I think we understood very early on the potential implications of this and but perhaps, you know, at a high level,” he said.

“But it wasn’t until we really were in it, locally immersed in what we need to do in Nova Scotia, that you really start to understand not just how big it was, but what it would take to control it and what that meant across all parts of our communities.”

That same day Nova Scotia reported its first cases, the province announced strict measures, including closing long-term care facilities to visitors, shutting down daycares and keeping public schools closed “for two weeks following March break.”

1:56 Halifax-area high school students optimistic about new school year during pandemic

In reality, students would end up out of the classroom until September, some six months later.

“We’ve come so far in terms of building lab capacity, building a comprehensive testing strategy, even how much different and better we are in terms of public health response to individual cases,” Strang said.

“There’s been so much learning and growth. And also the science and evidence around COVID has grown substantially from … back in early March. We know there’s so much we didn’t know, that we know now, that helps refine our approach.”

Testing, for example, has become an integral part of the province’s response. Back on March 15, 2020, the province had completed 418 COVID-19 tests total.

One year later, daily tests are counted by the thousands.

2:33 COVID-19 in Nova Scotia one year later

It has been said time and time again, that Nova Scotia has experienced a relatively low number of COVID cases. The so-called Atlantic Bubble, while it was still in place in 2020, even caught the eye of international media.

But that first wave last year saw 65 deaths in the province, centred on Northwood, a Halifax long-term care facility. It prompted a review that found staffing issues and shared rooms led to the deadly outbreak. 

The year has also seen varying degrees of restrictions placed on businesses and gatherings. Strang says he knows each decision has an impact, whether it affects people’s mental health or financial stability.

He calls it the hardest part of his job, but says “what we’ve done is absolutely necessary.”

“I’m tired, very tired mentally,” he said.

“Some of the weight of the responsibility has become, has been, pretty heavy.”

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Though some of the province’s decisions have been unpopular, Strang has also received praise and support. His face, along with former premier Stephen McNeil’s, has graced everything from memes to Christmas ornaments, to cups and T-shirts.

“My kids laugh at me about all that kind of stuff, but it’s, it’s very nice. To me, it’s part of an outpouring of support and caring for Nova Scotia, which I very much appreciate,” he said.

1:19 Nova Scotians look back on a year of COVID-19

Twelve months after those initial positive cases, Nova Scotia’s vaccine rollout is gaining momentum. While Strang says the province may start to “slowly relax” as people gain more immunity from the vaccine, he does admit COVID will be a part of our lives for some time, especially as new variants pop up.

“The post-COVID is not going to be like pre-COVID,” he said.

While he doesn’t think mandatory masking will be long term, he does hope that people will remain vigilant in the aftermath of the pandemic. He attributes masks and handwashing, for example, to this year’s lack of influenza cases in the province.

“The things we’re doing are actually have a very positive impact far beyond COVID, in terms of keeping people healthy. So how do we sustain some of those pieces?” he said.

Strang also hopes the sense of community and pride will linger long after COVID is gone. The first wave of the pandemic was also marred by tragedies in the province, including the mass shooting that claimed 22 lives.

“Nova Scotia has come together and stayed together, by and large, to make sure we get through this as safe as possible,” he said.

“And that’s, that’s just incredible to be in the middle of that and to see that and again, makes you very proud to be Nova Scotian.”

— With a file from Alicia Draus