Two deaths and 153 new COVID-19 cases reported Tuesday

NEWS RELEASE
COVID-19/HEALTH/WELLNESS
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Today, May 4, Nova Scotia is reporting two deaths related to COVID-19. A woman in her 50s and a man in his 70s have died in Central Zone.

There have now been 69 COVID-related deaths in Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia is also reporting 153 new cases of COVID-19 today.

There are 139 cases in Central Zone, 10 in Eastern Zone, three in Northern Zone and one in Western Zone.

There is community spread in Central Zone. The Eastern, Northern and Western Zones continue to be closely monitored for community spread.

As reported April 30, due to the volume of testing in the province, the Nova Scotia Health Authority lab is experiencing a backlog. There is also a delay in public health's case data entry into Panorama.

As of today, Nova Scotia has 1,060 active cases of COVID-19. There are 37 people in hospital, including eight in ICU.

On May 3, Nova Scotia Health Authority's labs completed 19,174 tests.

As of May 3, 325,218 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 36,687 Nova Scotians have received their second dose.

Since Oct. 1, there have been 1,918 positive COVID-19 cases and four deaths. Cases range in age from under 10 to over 90. There are 854 resolved cases. Cumulative cases may change as data is updated in Panorama.

Nova Scotia is currently under stronger restrictions to protect public health. Information at https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/restrictions-and-guidance/ .

Nova Scotians are strongly encouraged to use pop-up sites if they are not showing symptoms but want to be tested. Rapid testing pop-up sites continue to be set up around the province. More information on testing can be found at https://www.nshealth.ca/coronavirustesting .

Due to the backlog, anyone who already has an asymptomatic appointment booked should cancel it following instructions in their confirmation email.

The following people can and should continue to book tests:
— anyone with symptoms
— anyone who has been notified that they are a close contact of a known case
— anyone who has been at an exposure location
— anyone who has travelled outside Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador

Surgery patients scheduled to undergo pre-operative COVID-19 testing 72 hours prior to surgery should not cancel their test.

Visit https://covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca/ to do a self-assessment if in the past 48 hours you have had or you are currently experiencing mild symptoms, including:

— fever (i.e. chills/sweats) or cough (new or worsening)
— sore throat
— runny nose/nasal congestion
— headache
— shortness of breath/difficulty breathing

Call 811 if you cannot access the online self-assessment or wish to speak with a nurse about your symptoms.

When a new case of COVID-19 is confirmed, the person is directed to self-isolate at home, away from the public, for 14 days. Public health works to identify and test people who may have come in close contact with that person.

Anyone who has travelled from anywhere except Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador must self-isolate for 14 days. As always, anyone who develops symptoms of acute respiratory illness should limit their contact with others until they feel better.

It remains important for Nova Scotians to strictly adhere to the public health order and directives – practise good hand washing and other hygiene steps, maintain a physical distance when and where required. Wearing a non-medical mask is mandatory in most instances. Information is at https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/masks/ .

Nova Scotians can find accurate, up-to-date information, handwashing posters and fact sheets at https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus .

Businesses and other organizations can find information to help them safely reopen and operate at https://novascotia.ca/reopening-nova-scotia .

Quick Facts:
— additional information on COVID-19 case data, testing and vaccines is available at https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/data/
— a state of emergency was declared under the Emergency Management Act on March 22, 2020 and extended to May 16, 2021
— due to an increased number of investigations in recent days, the exposure category (i.e., travel, close contact or under investigation) is not available by release time. A breakdown by zone identifying exposure categories will no longer be provided regularly.

Additional Resources:
Government of Canada: https://canada.ca/coronavirus

Government of Canada information line 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)

If you need help with a non-crisis mental health or addiction concern 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)

For more information about COVID-19 testing and online booking, visit https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/symptoms-and-testing/
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