Nova Scotia is up against tens of thousands of unprocessed COVID-19 tests backlog, many of which are likely positive, according to the province’s best doctor.
“We have to be prepared for much higher case numbers in the next few days,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Chief Medical Officer of Health, at a Friday afternoon briefing.
According to Strang, 45,000 tests are queued in the provincial microbiology labs. There’s also a backlog in data entry, he said.
This means that the province’s testing strategy is temporarily changing so that the primary assessment centers are only open for:
- Anyone with symptoms.
- Anyone who has been notified that they are in close contact with a known case.
- Anyone who has been at an exposure site.
- Anyone who has traveled outside of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Asymptomatic tests for everyone else will still be available at pop-up quick test sites.
589 active cases
The province reported 67 new cases Friday and has 589 active cases in total, but Strang said the real number is likely much higher.
There are 57 new cases in the central zone, three in the northern zone, four in the western zone, and three in the eastern zone. The province said 22 people were in the hospital, five in intensive care.
Strang emphasized the severity of the current Nova Scotia outbreak at the briefing on Friday. He said the situation is more serious now than at any time during the pandemic.
Now is a critical time for people to stay home and abide by all other public health restrictions, he said.
“We are seeing the pressures in many parts of our health system, such as public health and the laboratory, and we are beginning to see an impact on our hospitals,” said Strang.
He said additional health system benefits cuts will come as a “substantial increase” in hospital stays is expected.
Dr. Robert Strang, Chief Medical Officer for Health in Nova Scotia, at a COVID-19 briefing on Friday, April 30, 2021. (Communications Nova Scotia)
“We cannot vaccinate ourselves from this immediate problem. The only quick and effective solution is the public health restrictions and border measures we are putting in place,” he said.
Strang hopes the test jam and data entry will be cleared over the weekend.
When asked by reporters, he dared not guess how many more positive results there would be among the 45,000 unprocessed swabs. While the numbers can be high, he said, they will represent behavior that predates the current lockdown.
Nova Scotians have come out in droves to get tested. So much so that it temporarily exceeded the capacity of our laboratory. Our people are working hard to close the backlog to bring their test results to people. 1/4 pic.twitter.com/5jxOLFQeFI
– @ HealthNS
Given the tough restrictions that went into effect across the province this week, Strang is confident that case numbers will start to decline at some point next week.
AstraZeneca-Oxford opens to more than 40
Strang and Prime Minister Iain Rankin announced on Wednesday that Nova Scotians ages 40 to 54 could start booking the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine on Friday, as the province is currently in excess of about 10,000 doses.
The appointments opened at 8:30 a.m. on Friday and most were fully booked within a few hours. Additional dates could still be added.
There are nearly 200,000 Nova Scotians between 40 and 54.
The AstraZeneca vaccine was already available to people aged 55 to 64, and people aged 55 and over are also eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
Vaccine rollout on track
As of this week, more than 30 percent of eligible Nova Scotians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
More than 80 percent of all Nova Scotians 70 and over had at least one dose and around 75 percent of 65 to 69 year olds.
Premier Iain Rankin and Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Robert Strang, share an age breakdown of active COVID-19 cases. Most cases are between 16 and 30 years old. (Communication Nova Scotia)
Strang said it was crucial to see strong uptake in the younger age groups when doses are available for them.
The province continues to expect vaccination appointments to be made available to all 16 by the end of June.
Atlantic Canada case numbers
- Newfoundland and Labrador reported eight new cases as well as three suspected cases on Friday. There are 33 active cases and two people in the hospital.
- New Brunswick reported 15 new cases on Friday. There are 127 active cases. Four people are in the hospital, two in the intensive care unit.
- PEI announced two new cases on Friday for a total of 12 active cases. Nobody is currently in the hospital.