We may have a long road ahead before the COVID-19 pandemic is done with us, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer says.
Dr. Robert Strang, speaking at Thursday's COVID-19 briefing with Premier Stephen McNeil, said because the virus hasn't been seen before, we have no underlying immunity. And the latest research indicates there may be two and even three COVID waves into 2021.
"There is no short-term solution here," Strang said, so social distancing and isolation measures may be loosened and tightened over time.
The earliest we might expect any change in the state of emergency rules would be June, Strang said, but he added it's all guesswork at this point.
"It's not like all of a sudden we can flip the switch back on," he said. "We have to watch the progression of the disease in our province with good epidemiology and understand when we may be able to start loosening things off."
That bleak assessment followed the sad news Thursday that a second Nova Scotian had died because of COVID-19 complications.
A woman in her 90s with underlying medical conditions died Wednesday at Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney. Another woman died from the virus at the same hospital Monday.
Strang said besides the fact both died at the hospital, there was no connection between the two cases, as the women lived in different parts of Cape Breton County.
Thirty-one new COVID-19 cases were reported Thursday and another 34 Friday, for a total of 407 in the province. Eight people were hospitalized with the respiratory virus, with four people in intensive care. Ninety-three people have recovered.
On Thursday, reporters pressed Strang on the fact Nova Scotia has yet to release projections of cases and deaths like many other provinces and the federal government have done.
He said smaller provinces are more challenged in calculating that kind of data and those projections would be done as soon as possible.
The premier, in acknowledging that social distancing rules have made life difficult for many people, announced that a Red Cross support line would be added to the 211 system.
The Red Cross will act as a navigator to link people to the services they need. The Red Cross also will offer wellness check-ins for Nova Scotians who are isolated and experiencing loneliness and anxiety.
Other announcements Thursday:
- private campgrounds must close until May 1, when the measure will be reassessed
- only veterinarians working with the SPCA may carry out spay and neuter surgeries
- the order under the Health Protection Act has been amended to require workers in the fishing and offshore industries to self-isolate when they enter the province
So far there have been 13,014 negative COVID-19 tests conducted in Nova Scotia and 407 positives. The testing lab at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax has ramped up to a 24/7 operation and completed 915 tests Thursday.
The list of symptoms being screened has expanded. If you have two or more of the following symptoms, visit https://811.novascotia.ca/ to determine if you should call 811 for further assessment: fever, new or worsening cough, sore throat, runny nose and headache.
The premier reiterated the need for Nova Scotians to keep their distance from each other, particularly over the Easter weekend.
"The Easter Bunny will come this weekend because we all know the Easter Bunny is an essential service," McNeil said. "But the Easter Bunny should be your only visitor this weekend. If you're thinking about having people over for Easter dinner, do not, please. If you're tempted to have the first barbeque of the year and invite your neighbours over, do not, please.
"There will be other Easters, there will be other celebrations, there will be other long weekends."
The premier and Strang are taking the weekend off from their daily COVID briefings. The next one will be held Monday. But updates will be available on the province's coronavirus site.
On Friday, the province also sent out an emergency alert on cellphones and on television reminding people of the importance of staying home to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“COVID-19 is deadly. Stop the spread now. STAY HOME,” the alert read. “Only leave for essential groceries, prescriptions or medical appointments. Ignoring public health dretion endangers lives. STAY HOME. Protect yourself and others.”
Quick Facts:
- A state of emergency was declared under the Emergency Management Act on March 22 and extended to April 19
- There are 22 primary assessment centres in Nova Scotia: 21 operated by Nova Scotia Health Authority and one operated by the IWK Health Centre. Temporary primary assessment centres are operating in two communities
- Two mobile assessment centres are being established by NSHA to do community-based testing; Emergency Health Services operates two field assessment units, one in Halifax Regional Municipality and one in Cape Breton Regional Municipality
