Nova Scotia is reporting 72 new COVID-19 cases and 63 recoveries over a three-day period.
During that time, eight schools received exposure notifications — the bulk of them in the Halifax area — and more schools in the municipality will now be closed due to an outbreak.
Of the new cases, 58 were in Central Zone, eight in Northern Zone, five in Western Zone and one in Eastern Zone.
“There is community spread in Central Zone, primarily among people aged 20 to 40 who are unvaccinated and participating in social activities,” the province continues to note in a news release.
Nova Scotia now has 208 active cases. Of those, 15 people are in hospital, including three in ICU.
More school exposures and closures
This afternoon, Public Health announced it was recommending the closure of Joseph Howe Elementary and École Mer et Monde in Halifax to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Those schools will be closed to students beginning tomorrow for one week. Principals will be contacting staff and families about learning from home.
Public health will have testing available at both schools this coming Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The closures come after the province announced yesterday evening that Dartmouth South Academy — a P-9 school — would be closed for five days beginning today.
According to the province’s list of school exposures, Dartmouth South Academy has had seven exposure notices in the span of a week beginning Oct. 10.
In total, four Halifax Regional Centre for Education schools have been forced to shut down due to COVID-19 cases this school year.
Duc d’Anville Elementary in Halifax’s Clayton Park neighbourhood was closed for one week as well, and asked the students receive a negative COVID-19 test before returning.
The province’s list of school exposures show notifications were sent out this past weekend at Cumberland North Academy in Amherst, École Mer et Monde in Halifax, twice at Dartmouth South Academy in Dartmouth, Halifax West High in Halifax, Joseph Howe Elementary in Halifax, and Beechville Lakeside Timberlea Jr. Elementary in Timberlea.
Testing numbers and vaccination rates
Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 3,557 tests on Oct. 15, 2,755 tests on Oct. 16 and 2,792 tests on Oct.17.
The province notes that 1,547,472 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 747,632 Nova Scotians have received their second dose.