**** HEALTH/WELLNESS Media Release
One Death, Seven New Cases of COVID-19, 24 Recoveries
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Today, October 26, Nova Scotia is reporting one death related to COVID-19. A woman in her 70s in Western Zone has died.
“I’m very saddened to hear another family has lost a loved one,” said Premier Tim Houston. “This is a stark reminder of how serious this virus is. I know we have been at this for a long time and people are getting tired, but we cannot be complacent.”
Nova Scotia is also reporting seven new cases of COVID-19 and 24 recoveries.
The seven cases are in Central Zone.
“My prayers and condolences are with the family and loved ones of the woman who has passed,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. “The vaccine can help prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death. Do your part and get vaccinated if you haven’t done so already to protect yourselves and the people around you.”
On October 25, there were no notifications of school exposures. Any time there is an exposure at a school, all staff, parents and guardians are notified if a positive case (student, teacher or staff) was at the school while infectious. A list of schools with exposures is available online: https://backtoschool.ednet.ns.ca/school-exposures
As of today, Nova Scotia has 134 active cases of COVID-19. Of those, 10 people are in hospital, including one in ICU.
On October 25, Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 1,917 tests.
As of October 25, 1,564,733 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 756,880 Nova Scotians have received their second dose, and 1,311 eligible Nova Scotians have received a third dose.
Since August 1, there have been 1,376 positive COVID-19 cases and six deaths. Cases range in age from under 10 to over 90. There are 1,236 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 COVID-19 for COVID-19 testing centres across the province. Those eligible to receive asymptomatic testing are listed at: https://www.nshealth.ca/visit-covid-19-testing-site . Those with no symptoms who do not meet the criteria are encouraged to use one of the rapid testing pop-up sites if they want to be tested. Some public health mobile unit clinics also offer drop-in testing; this will be noted in promotions.
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 October 31, 2021
Additional Resources:
Nova Scotians can find accurate, up-to-date information, handwashing posters and fact sheets at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus
More information on COVID-19 case data, testing and vaccines is available at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/data/
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
Government of Canada: https://canada.ca/coronavirus or 1-833-784-4397 (toll-free)
