Nova Scotians with COVID-19 stress importance of vaccines, rapid testing

With hundreds in isolation as a result of the worst surge in COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia the since the pandemic began, some with the virus are stressing the importance of vaccinations and rapid testing throughout the weeks to come.

Abdiel James tested positive late last week. The 24-year-old isn’t sure exactly how he contracted the virus, but it’s going to force him to spend Christmas in his apartment.

“I finally got the days off work to go spend Christmas with my family, then this happened and I said, you know what? I guess it was meant to be,” he told Global News in a Zoom interview Monday.

A few days later, James’ brother Ashwin also tested positive. Both say their symptoms are mild, but they’re taking things seriously.

“I did two PCR tests and they were late in giving me the results, so I did a rapid test and the rapid test said I was positive,” said Ashwin. “(Rapid tests are) more quicker because the backlogs, it takes a long time to get the results.”

Nova Scotia reported 485 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday — the most in one day since the start of the pandemic. On Sunday, the Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 9,198 tests, however, a backlog remains.

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As a result of that delay in testing, rapid testing kits have exploded in interest. Epidemiologist Dr. Lisa Barrett says as rapid test interest increases, courtesy should remain top of mind.

“We’d love to see the amazing spirit and collaboration we’ve seen among Nova Scotians continue forward, especially during these holidays,” she said.

Dr. Barrett says over a four-week span, 1 million tests were handed out to Nova Scotians. She says as more are handed out, there are certain guidelines that should be adhered to.

“Number one, you don’t need to test every day. Just in certain circumstances. And number two, it’s also really important to recognize that if you don’t have a test, don’t panic,” she said. “There’s going to be times when you’re going to need to use all your tools in your toolbox and not just tests.”

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Abdiel considers himself and his brother lucky, and says the recent surge in cases highlights the importance of vaccines and early testing.

“I’m lucky because I didn’t have as much severity of the symptoms, but there are other people who can go to the hospital, and because of that there are other procedures that are getting pushed away,” he said.