NS Reports 581 COVID-19 Cases Monday, Testing Changes Go into Effect

HALIFAX –

The province of Nova Scotia reported 581 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday.

Public health says that there are 420 cases in the Central Zone, 62 cases in the East Zone, 42 cases in the North Zone and 57 cases in the West Zone.

4,851 tests were completed on Sunday, December 26.

Public health also reports an outbreak in a room at the QEII Health Sciences Center’s Halifax Infirmary site. There are currently fewer than five patients affected. They are being closely monitored and other infection prevention and control measures are being implemented.

Nova Scotia Public Health is experiencing delays in follow-up due to an increase in positive tests and cases. The province asks positive cases to contact their close contacts. The province says detailed follow-ups are being prioritized to support contact tracing in long-term care, health centers, prisons, shelters and other group settings.

The province’s online COVID-19 dashboard will not be updated until Wednesday.

BIG CHANGE IN THE NS COVID-19 TESTING STRATEGY

Going forward, laboratory-processed COVID-19 tests, known as PCR tests, will be reserved for individuals deemed to be at higher risk, while all other Nova Scotians who are close contacts or have symptoms. , they will be asked to make an appointment to pick them up. a quick test kit to test themselves at home.

The change comes as lab resources reach capacity and COVID-19 cases continue to rise.

“Know when you need a test, the test will be there for you. It will just look a little different, ”says Holly Gillis, Public Health Manager for Mobile Public Health Units at the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

Take-home rapid test kits can be picked up by appointment at one of 30 testing centers across the province after calling 811 or completing a COVID screening self-assessment. Each box contains five tests, allowing one person to test themselves every 24 to 48 hours for a week.

Public health is urging people not to accumulate evidence and to use tests when necessary, for example if they have symptoms or if they have been identified as a close contact, and to limit contacts.

“Take-home speed dating is really for people who have symptoms or who identify as a close contact,” says Gillis.

Anyone who tests positive will be asked to isolate themselves and notify their close contacts, as well as public health, by emailing [email protected] and include their name, date of birth, card number health and contact information.

To be eligible for a PCR test, you must have symptoms or have been identified as close contacts and be one of the following:

– 50 years and over

– Not vaccinated (less than the complete vaccination series) and over 12 years old

– Live or work in the following congregational settings:

  • Long-term care home
  • Residential care facilities
  • Corrections
  • Shelters and transitional houses
  • Intensive care settings

– Adults from First Nations and Africans from Nova Scotia

– Frontline healthcare workers with direct patient care (i.e. family doctors, nurse practitioners, dentist) and first responders.

– Adults 18 to 49 years of age with one or more risk factors for serious disease:

  • Obesity (BMI> 30 kg / m2)
  • Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus
  • Chronic lung disease, including poorly controlled asthma (eg, with medication or hospitalization in the past 12 months)
  • Chronic kidney disease, including those on dialysis
  • Down’s Syndrome
  • Motor neuron disease, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, Huntington’s disease
  • Immunosuppressed or undergoing immunosuppressive treatment
  • Children and young people under 18 years of age with any of the following conditions:
  • history of prematurity <29 weeks
  • Chronic lung disease including chronic lung disease of prematurity, cystic fibrosis, and severe asthma
  • Down’s Syndrome
  • Motor neuron disease, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis
  • Obesity (BMI> 30 kg / m2)

– Pregnant

PCR tests are also available for people who require one for a medical procedure or for travelers who are not vaccinated or who need two negative PCR tests to stop isolating after at least seven days.

Reference-atlantic.ctvnews.ca

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