11 new cases of COVID-19 reported in N.S., plus 1 at a Halifax high school

CBC
·4 min read

Nova Scotia reported 11 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday.

Nine are in the central zone, while the other two are in the northern zone.

The cases in the northern zone were announced Wednesday evening when Sipekne'katik First Nation Chief Mike Sack confirmed two cases. It's the first time the virus has been detected on a First Nation in Atlantic Canada.

Nova Scotia labs completed 2,047 tests on Wednesday.

A positive case connected to Citadel High School was also reported in Halifax Thursday afternoon, according to a statement from principal Joe Morrison that was sent to parents Thursday.

Robert Short/CBC
Robert Short/CBC

A statement from Public Health confirmed the positive case and said the exposure to the virus could have occurred on Nov. 24, based on initial findings.

The school will be closed until at least Dec. 8 to allow for contact tracing and cleaning. In the meantime, students will be learning from home.

Contact tracing is underway. Public Health will only contact individuals who are considered close contacts.

"We understand you may feel anxious over the coming days. It is natural to want to know if your child may have been exposed to the virus," Morrison said.

"Public Health officials will inform those who are at risk of the next steps, but to protect the privacy of students and staff, other details including names, will not be released."

Parents with students at Citadel High are asked to monitor their children for symptoms of COVID-19.

4 new potential exposures issued

The province also issued a list of potential exposure sites on Thursday night. They are:

  • Walmart at 140 Wade Rd. in Truro on Nov. 28 between 12:30 and 3:00 p.m. Anyone who was at this location is being asked to monitor for symptoms. Symptoms may develop up to, and including, Dec. 12.

  • Foodland at 2295 Nova Scotia Trunk 2 in Milford on Nov. 28 between 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. Anyone who was at this location is being asked to monitor for symptoms. Symptoms may develop up to, and including, Dec. 12.

More recoveries than new positive cases

According to the province's numbers, there were 19 recoveries since Wednesday. There are 119 active cases in Nova Scotia.

"It is important to recognize that although our cases numbers are not as high as we expected them to be, we continue to see new cases of COVID-19 every day," Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, said in a release.

"Now is not the time to let our guard down. Please do your part to slow the spread of this virus by continuing to follow all the public health measures and restrictions."

The province said there were 338 tests administered at a rapid-testing pop-up site in Halifax on Tuesday, and 148 tests at a similar site in Wolfville.

There were no positive tests at either site.

Since Oct.1, there have been 254 positive cases and no deaths, according to the release. No one is in hospital related to the virus.

New testing available for ages 16-35

Walk-in COVID testing is also available for people ages 16-35 with no symptoms at the Zatzman Sportsplex in Dartmouth from Thursday through Sunday.

Those in the age range are welcome if they have no symptoms, have not been at an exposure site identified by Public Health, or are not a close contact of a person with COVID-19. The testing method will be the standard swab, not the rapid test.

Dr. Jennifer Cram, Medical Officer of Health, said Public Health is especially interested in seeing those who may have been to parties or gatherings in the last two weeks, or anyone who has a large number of social contacts.

"The intention is to take advantage of our available testing capacity to do everything we can to identify COVID in the community," Cram said. People who come for testing will not need to self-isolate while they wait for test results.

Testing is available from 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m each day.

COVID cases in the Atlantic provinces

The latest numbers from the Atlantic provinces are:

Symptoms

Anyone with one of the following symptoms should visit the COVID-19 self-assessment website or call 811:

  • Fever.

  • Cough or worsening of a previous cough.

Anyone with two or more of the following symptoms is also asked to visit the website or call 811:

  • Sore throat.

  • Headache.

  • Shortness of breath.

  • Runny nose.

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