Nova Scotia reports 1 death and 6 new COVID-19 cases as additional variant case identified

Nova Scotia reported Friday that a woman over 80 has died in the Central Zone due to COVID-19.

This brings the total number of COVID-related deaths to 67 in the province.

The province also reported six new cases of COVID-19.

Three cases are in the Central Zone. One is a close contact of a previously reported case and the other two are related to travel outside Atlantic Canada.

Two cases are in Eastern Zone and one case is in Western Zone, all related to travel outside Atlantic Canada.

In all cases, the people are self-isolating, as required, the province said.

Unrelated to the cases announced on Friday, public health said that an additional case of the B.1.1.7 variant, first detected in the U.K., has been identified.

“This case was previously reported and is included in the provincial data, though the person is not in Nova Scotia and has no known close contacts in the province,” said public health in a press release.

This brings the total number of cases of the B.1.1.7 variant in Nova Scotia to 45. The number of cases of the B.1.351 variant, first discovered in South Africa, remains at 10.

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At the COVID-19 briefing on Friday, Premier Iain Rankin also responded to the urgent appeal made by the Canadian Medical Association, which suggested that more vaccines need to go to hard-hit regions.

Rankin said the province’s vaccine supply “would be a drop in the bucket for Ontario” and that Nova Scotia continues to expect its per capital allotment.

“If there are other supplies or recourses they require, I think we would be more flexible on that,” said Rankin.

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Vaccinations 

Nova Scotia announced Friday that 200,000 doses were delivered this week.

The province said it is also on track to have every Nova Scotian receive their first dose of the vaccine by the end of June.

“This is a great milestone… Our plan is working and it is on track,” said Premier Iain Rankin.

“By May, we will be able to immunize more than 85,000 people each week if we have the vaccine supply, and by June all adult Nova Scotians who want a vaccine will have one.”

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Moving forward the province said it will focus on vaccinating the rest of the population based on age.

Currently, all Nova Scotians aged 65 and older can book an appointment to get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. Those between 55 and 64 can also receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.

By the end of April, the province said it will have done the following:

• Provided at least a first dose of vaccine to every health-care worker who works directly with patients in hospital or in their home.
• Vaccinated or have scheduled appointments for anyone who is a community provider as identified in the plan.
• Fully vaccinated all residents and staff in licensed long-term care facilities.
• Delivered vaccine to all unlicensed, private seniors’ facilities to provide first doses to their residents.
• Fully vaccinated people 55 and older who live in the 13 Mi’kmaw communities across the province; planning is underway to vaccinate those under age 55 and those who live outside the community.
• Held two African Nova Scotian community clinics for community members age 55 and older; planning is underway for additional clinics.
• Administered first doses at all nine shelter clinics in Halifax Regional Municipality; planning is underway for shelter and transition houses in other areas of Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia said it has 42 active cases of COVID-19 as of Friday.

The Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 2,032 Nova Scotia tests on April 15.

There were 248 tests administered between April 10 and 11 at the rapid-testing pop-up sites in Dartmouth and Halifax.

As of April 15, 194,792 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 32,255 Nova Scotians have received their second dose.

Since Oct. 1, Nova Scotia said it has completed 338,855 tests. There have been 703 positive COVID-19 cases and two deaths.

Three people are in hospital. There are 659 resolved cases.