The province's chief medical officer of health wasn't surprised to learn that more Delta variants have been found in Nova Scotia.
On Wednesday it was announced the National Microbiology Lab confirmed 20 Delta and 36 Alpha variants in previously reported cases.
"So what we're doing right now, we just got the information yesterday, so we're matching individual lab results with the epidemiology around each of the case and putting together a picture," explained Dr. Robert Strang at a COVID-19 briefing.
Strang said the Alpha variant drove our third wave in Nova Scotia.
"The Delta variant has come in the latter stages of the third wave," he stated.
"The real concern is the Delta variant has the potential, if you don't get high coverage of two doses of vaccine, the risk of the Delta variant is creating a fourth wave."
He said Nova Scotia's best defence is having as many people as possible get fully immunized against the virus.
"Where we're seeing resurgence of COVID in parts of the U.S., and I just saw this morning in Australia, Sydney's gone for another two weeks of lockdown, it's the Delta variant in combination with underimmunized populations," he said. "The defence against the Delta variant and what we need to do to minimize chance of a fourth wave is that high two-dose coverage."
"If we did somehow get a resurgence, the tools against the Delta variant are exactly the tools we've used previously."
That includes restrictions, mandatory public health measures, contact tracing and enhanced testing.
"Why we're focusing on vaccine is to never have to use those again," Strang added.
"We need to do everything we can to avoid a fourth wave. That's why I'll say it one more time, the way we do that is everybody who can, get two doses of vaccine."
Wednesday was Dr. Robert Strang's 150th COVID-19 briefing. The province had no new cases to report and has entered Phase 4 of its reopening plan.
