In a live broadcast, Dr Robert Strang, the county’s chief medical officer, said his commitment to protecting the health of Nova Scotia residents was not wavering, but it was time to move away from restrictive measures.
“There will always be some people who feel we are moving very fast and want to stick to the measures we have used over the last two years,” Strang said.
“There are also a lot of people who feel we have kept them for too long.”
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On Thursday, Nova Scotia Prime Minister Tim Houston said there were 1,300 positive PCR cases daily, overshadowing the previous record of 1,184 positive tests on January 2, 2022.
In the weekly COVID-19 data update, the county reported a total of 6,991 positive PCR tests, averaging nearly 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 per day. This set does not include positive rapid tests.
There were also eight more deaths from COVID-19 between March 31 and April 6 and 57 Nova Scots are currently being treated for COVID-19.
Dr. Shelley Deeks, Nova Scotia’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, also spoke at the briefing. He said hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 have not reached a point of concern.
“The number of hospitalizations as a percentage of all positive tests is still quite low,” he said.
“More than three times lower than in the first wave and this is largely due to the impact of vaccines.”
Deeks says the current death toll from positive cases is almost 10 times lower than in the first wave.
Strang was also asked during a briefing on the contrast between public health alert messages and the provincial government, which encourages Nova Scotians to “get back out there”.
This is for every dinner eaten alone on your couch. Let’s get back out there, Nova Scotia.Learn more about the safe enjoyment of Nova Scotia. pic.twitter.com/BHZBHw4weu α>
– @ nsgov
“Public health advice and my advice is for people to be outside, to make your choices wisely, to follow precautions carefully,” he said.
“We need to learn that COVID is part of our environment and will be here for a long time.”
Nova Scotia lifted almost all restrictions on COVID-19 more than two weeks ago. Some restrictions remain, including the mandatory seven-day isolation for anyone positive and the continued use of the mask in healthcare facilities, prisons and courts. Students should also wear masks at school for a few more weeks.
Houston told reporters Thursday afternoon that he was not prepared to reinstate restrictions, although some infectious disease experts are calling for a return to mandatory masks.
“Things have changed. We have high vaccination rates. The variation is different. These are all facts. There would be a lot of people who have opinions about the facts, but the views and guidelines I rely on, on which the government should rely. “It’s that of public health,” Houston said.
The prime minister said “there was a time and place for restrictions”, but it was not meant to last forever. He also said there are extensions that accompany these rules, such as the impact the orders have on the Nova Scotians’ mental health and social interactions.
“I do not want to give the impression even for a second that none of this weighs on any elected official … They are tough decisions,” he said.
Hospitals with a capacity of 99.5%.
So far during the Omicron wave, those who have not been vaccinated or received only one dose of vaccine are three times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those who have received two doses and are six times more likely to die as an individual. who has received a booster dose. Non-vaccinated Nova Scotians are about 5 times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 than someone with two doses of COVID-19 vaccine. This number is based on the average hospitalization numbers released by the province from January 4 to March 24. The provincial health authority said on Wednesday that hospitals across the province were operating at a capacity of 99.5%, with hundreds of non-working staff due to COVID-19 – more than anywhere else from 2019.
