Nova Scotia reported Tuesday that a woman in her 50s and a man in his 70s have died in the Halifax area due to COVID-19 as the spike in new cases continues.
During a briefing, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang said both deaths happened at home. In one case, public health wasn’t even aware the person was positive for COVID-19.
This brings the total number of COVID-related deaths in Nova Scotia to 69.
“The illness we are seeing from variants can progress…the disease may not give you time to wait,” said Strang.
This is why he said the province has worked with the Nova Scotia Health Authority to waive the Emergency Health Services (EHS) ambulance fees for people diagnosed with COVID-19 or suspected of having the virus calling in.
Nova Scotia also reported 153 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday.
There are 139 cases in Central Zone, 10 in Eastern Zone, three in Northern Zone and one in Western Zone.
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As of Tuesday, Nova Scotia has 1,060 active cases of COVID-19. There are 37 people in hospital, including eight in ICU.
Strang also announced that the provincial lab and public health data entry backlogs are cleared.
Starting Wednesday, the case numbers reported by the province should reflect new cases identified in the last few days.
On May 3, Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 19,174 tests.
Strang encouraged Nova Scotians to make testing as part of their routine, especially when they’re doing necessary traveling in the area
As of May 3, 325,218 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 36,687 Nova Scotians have received their second dose.
Since Oct. 1, Nova Scotia there have been 1,918 positive COVID-19 cases and four deaths. Cases range in age from under 10 to over 90. There are 854 resolved cases. Cumulative cases may change as data is updated in Panorama.
Self-isolation at Saint Mary’s University
Saint Mary’s University in Halifax announced Tuesday two confirmed, but unrelated, cases of COVID-19 in Rice Residence.
As a result, residents of Rice Residence are required to self-isolate until they receive a negative COVID-19 test result.
The university said any residents of Loyola Residence who may have spent any extended time in Rice from April 26 to May 3 are also being asked to self-isolate until they receive a negative test result.
“This decision was made out of an abundance of caution by Public Health. Public Health has not informed the university of any violation of public health measures,” SMU said in a statement.
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