**** HEALTH/WELLNESS Media Release
One Death, 83 New Cases of COVID-19, 46 Recoveries
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NOTE: Nova Scotia will begin reporting the number of schools with cases of COVID-19 daily, starting tomorrow, Sept. 28
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Today, Sept. 27, Nova Scotia is reporting one death related to COVID-19. A man in his 80s in Central Zone has died.
“On behalf of all Nova Scotians, I offer our condolences to the family and friends grieving the loss of their loved one,” said Premier Tim Houston. “The actions of every single Nova Scotian are critical right now. Everyone has a role to play to keep this virus under control. Let’s do it together – get vaccinated, and stay home and get tested if you have symptoms.”
Nova Scotia is also reporting 83 new cases of COVID-19 and 46 recoveries since the last update on Sept. 24.
Over the past three days, there have been 65 cases in Central Zone, eight cases in Western Zone, six cases in Northern Zone and four cases in Eastern Zone.
Due to an increased number of investigations, the exposure category (i.e., travel, close contact or under investigation) is not always available by release time. A breakdown by zone identifying exposure categories will no longer be provided regularly.
There is community spread in Central Zone, primarily among people aged 20 to 40 who are unvaccinated and participating in social activities.
“It is never easy to hear that a Nova Scotian has passed away as a result of COVID-19. My thoughts and prayers are with those who are grieving,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health. “This is a sad day, and it reminds us how serious the virus is. I cannot emphasize enough how critical it is to get vaccinated and follow public health measures to prevent further illness and death from this virus.”
As of today, Nova Scotia has 205 active cases of COVID-19. Of those, 11 people are in hospital, including one in ICU.
Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 3,726 tests on Sept. 24; 3,246 tests on Sept. 25; and 2,659 tests on Sept. 26.
As of Sept. 26, 1,500,471 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 721,906 Nova Scotians have received their second dose.
Since Aug. 1, there have been 673 positive COVID-19 cases and two deaths. Cases range in age from under 10 to over 90. There are 466 resolved cases. Cumulative cases may change as data is updated in Panorama.
Testing advice:
Nova Scotians with or without symptoms can book a test at https://covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca/en for primary assessment centres across the province. Those with no symptoms are encouraged to use one of the primary assessment centres with drop-in testing, pop-up sites or public health mobile units if they want to be tested.
More information on testing can be found at https://www.nshealth.ca/coronavirustesting
Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms is advised to self-isolate and book a COVID-19 test.
Anyone advised by public health that they were a close contact needs to complete a full 14-day quarantine, regardless of test results, unless they are fully vaccinated. If they are fully vaccinated at least 14 days before the exposure date, they do not need to self-isolate as long as they are not experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms. They should still get tested and should monitor for symptoms up to 14 days after the exposure date. If symptoms develop, they should get tested and self-isolate until they receive a negative test result.
Symptoms and self-assessment:
Nova Scotians should visit https://covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca/ to do a self-assessment if in the past 48 hours they have had or are currently experiencing:
— cough (new or worsening)
Or two or more of the following symptoms:
— fever (chills, sweats)
— headache
— runny nose or nasal congestion
— sore throat
— shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
People should call 811 if they cannot access the online self-assessment or wish to speak with a nurse about their symptoms.
Anyone with symptoms should immediately self-isolate and book a test.
Quick Facts:
— a state of emergency was declared under the Emergency Management Act on March 22, 2020, and has been extended to Oct. 3, 2021
Additional Resources:
More information on COVID-19 case data, testing and vaccines is available at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/data/
Nova Scotians can find accurate, up-to-date information, handwashing posters and fact sheets at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus
Nova’s Scotia’s five-phase reopening plan, announced May 28, 2021: https://novascotia.ca/reopening-plan/
Businesses and other organizations can find information to help them safely reopen and operate at: https://novascotia.ca/reopening-nova-scotia
A list of primary assessment locations, including locations with drop-in testing, is available at: https://www.nshealth.ca/coronavirustesting#assessment-centre-locations
More information about public health text notifications of positive COVID-19 cases and close contacts is available here: https://www.nshealth.ca/news/public-health-begins-contacting-positive-covid-19-cases-close-contacts-text-message
More information on what is considered essential travel is available here: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/travel/#from-outside-atlantic-canada
Government of Canada: https://canada.ca/coronavirus or 1-833-784-4397 (toll-free)
The Mental Health Provincial Crisis Line is available 24/7 to anyone experiencing a mental health or addictions crisis, or someone concerned about them, by calling 1-888-429-8167 (toll-free)
Anyone needing help with a non-crisis mental health or addiction concern can call Community Mental Health and Addictions at 1-855-922-1122 (toll-free) weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Kids Help Phone is available 24/7 by calling 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free)
For help or information about domestic violence 24/7, call 1-855-225-0220 (toll-free)
