One Death, Seven New Cases of COVID-19, Five Recoveries

Today, Aug. 25, Nova Scotia is reporting one death related to COVID-19. A man in his 60s in Western Zone has died.

“On behalf of all Nova Scotians, I extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends who are grieving the loss of their loved one,” said premier-designate Tim Houston. “This virus has had devasting impacts on too many families. Please get vaccinated as soon as possible, get tested if you have symptoms and continue to follow public health protocols.”

Nova Scotia is also reporting seven new cases of COVID-19 and five recoveries.

Four of the cases are in Central Zone. Three are related to travel. One is a close contact of a previously reported case.

One case is in Northern Zone and is under investigation.

Two cases are in Eastern Zone. One is a close contact to a previously reported case and one is under investigation.

As of today, Nova Scotia has 50 active cases of COVID-19. There are currently no hospitalizations.

“It is difficult and upsetting to hear that another Nova Scotian has died from COVID-19,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health. “The vaccine can help prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death. I encourage all Nova Scotians to get both doses as soon as they can to protect themselves and the people around them.”

On Aug. 24, Nova Scotia Health Authority's labs completed 3,418 tests.

As of Aug. 24, 1,431,376 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 678,570 Nova Scotians have received their second dose.

Since April 1, there have been 4,247 positive COVID-19 cases and 28 deaths. Cases range in age from under 10 to over 90. There are 4,169 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 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

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 Sept. 5, 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)