Nova Scotia is reporting 34 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday — the bulk of them in the Northern Zone, where health officials have said there is a cluster of cases linked to a “defined, unvaccinated group.”
The province says more cases are expected from that cluster. The Northern Zone currently has 105 of the province’s 173 active cases.
Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health, has said that he doesn’t want to reveal too many details about the community in the Northern Zone for privacy reasons and to prevent stigmatization. He has said however, that the group has been co-operative with health officials.
Seven of the new cases are in the Central Zone, where officials say there are signs of community spread among those aged 20 to 40, “who are unvaccinated and participating in social activities.” Two of the cases are contacts of previously-reported cases, and five are under investigation.
One case is in the Eastern Zone and is related to travel.
The province also recorded 20 recoveries since Wednesday. Four people are currently in hospital with the virus.
The number of COVID-19 tests has risen in the past few days. Nova Scotia Health completed 4,016 tests on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, 73.1 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, and 79.1 per cent have had at least one dose of a vaccine.
The province has now set a target of Oct. 4 to enter Phase 5 of the re-opening plan, and to bring in a proof of vaccination policy for non-essential services and events.