N.S. Reports Spike In Covid-19 Cases As Province Prepares To Lift Restrictions
HALIFAX — Covid-19 cases spiked significantly in Nova Scotia over the weekend.
The provincial government says 73 people tested positive for the disease since the government’s last update, on September 10.
The province says a lot of the new infections come from a “large cluster” of linked cases in the province’s Northern Zone. Most of that group is unvaccinated.
In total, the province says 36 of its new cases come from the Northern Zone. Almost all of them are close contacts of previous cases. Three are travel-related and one is still under investigation.
Meanwhile, the province says there are signs of community spread in the Central Zone, where 31 Covid-19 cases have been identified.
Eleven of those are close contacts of previous cases, nine are related to travel, and 11 are still under investigation.
All told, Nova Scotia has 125 active Covid-19 cases. Of those, four people are in hospital Covid units.
“We knew we’d get cases in the fourth wave and, like elsewhere, it’s among people who are not vaccinated,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health. “This highlights the importance of getting the vaccine. It’s the best line of defense against Covid-19.”
The spike in new Covid-19 cases comes just days before the province had planned to move into Phase 5 of its Covid-19 recovery plan.
Premier Tim Houston has said most Covid-19 restrictions will likely be lifted on September 15, when public health officials have predicted 75 percent of the province’s population will be fully vaccinated.
Phase 5 would see mandatory mask mandates lifted, public gathering limits eliminated, and businesses allowed to operate at full capacity.
The premier has called a press conference for September 14, to give a Covid-19 update.