Nova Scotia is reporting 127 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, and continues to say the spike in testing and positive results is leading to backlogs at public health.
The province said public health is experiencing delays in following up with people. They will try to contact lab-confirmed cases within 24 hours to provide information on isolation and further testing. All cases will be asked to reach out to their own close contacts.
“This may be the only contact a positive case has with public health,” the province wrote in a news release.
“Detailed follow-ups are being prioritized to support contact tracing in schools, long-term care, healthcare facilities, correctional facilities, shelters and other group settings.”
All close contacts, including those who are fully vaccinated, must isolate for 72 hours after the exposure and then get a PCR test.
There are 68 new cases in Eastern Zone, 42 in Central Zone, 11 in Northern Zone and six cases in Western Zone. The province has previously said that some cases that are part of the St. Francis Xavier University outbreak in Eastern Zone are being counted in Central because that’s where some students have listed as their home address.
Premier Tim Houston announced Monday 40 of the cases from St. FX have were confirmed to be the Omicron variant. Dr. Robert Strang, chief medical officer of health, said it’s to be expected more future cases will also be Omicron.
Since then, both New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have announced the presence of Omicron in their provinces — and attributed it back to the St. FX University outbreak.
In Nova Scotia, public health restrictions on gathering limits, masking and physical distancing have been reinstated, with most of the changes coming into effect on Friday.
Dr. Lisa Barrett, an infectious disease specialist at Dalhousie University, said in an interview it’s too early to tell how widespread and severe the impact of the St. FX cluster will be.
The university has been at the centre of an outbreak following the school’s X-ring ceremony on Dec. 3, which attracted more than 2,000 people to the campus. Provincial officials have confirmed an investigation found the majority of infections were spread during smaller, private gatherings related to activities held on and off the campus between Dec. 2 and Dec. 5.
Barrett said it will take several weeks before it’s clear whether increased public health measures in the three Maritime provinces will succeed in curbing the outbreak.
“My big take-home is that this variant spreads exceptionally easily in indoor and unmasked situations. We need to be very mindful of that,” she said.
Meanwhile, Dalhousie University in Halifax is dealing with its own outbreak. In its latest update on Tuesday afternoon, the university said it had 16 confirmed cases using PCR testing. That includes seven students in residences and nine students off campus.
On Monday, five schools were notified of an exposure. New restrictions began Tuesday at public schools, including limiting visitors, stopping assemblies, and limiting the use of cafeterias.
Six people are in hospital in the province, including two in ICU. The province noted there are no hospitalizations in Eastern Zone. Strang has previously said the majority of cases at St. FX, which involves young and fully-vaccinated people, have shown mild symptoms.
No new cases at seniors’ living community
The province said there were no new cases reported Tuesday at Parkland Antigonish, a seniors’ living community.
So far, two residents and two staff members from the retirement home have tested positive and one staff member from Mary’s Court, the licensed long-term care neighbourhood, has tested positive.
The province noted all staff and residents are fully vaccinated, with all residents of Mary’s Court also having received a booster shot.
— With a file from The Canadian Press
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