Nova Scotia reports 9 new COVID-19 cases Friday
All nine cases are connected to travel outside Atlantic Canada
Nova Scotia reported nine new cases of COVID-19 on Friday.
There are now 31 known active cases in the province. Five of the new cases are in the western health zone and four in the central zone.
Nova Scotia's health authority said the five cases came from a group that had travelled internationally and the other four had travelled outside of Atlantic Canada. All of them are self-isolating.
The nine new cases are the biggest jump in the province since 10 cases were reported on Feb. 26.
"Our Easter weekend is looking very different than those in other provinces because of our low active case numbers, and today's cases show our border protocols are working," said Premier Iain Rankin in a media release.
"But we have to remain vigilant — including strictly adhering to self-isolation after travel and other public health measures — to remain safe."
Rankin also extended the state of emergency until April 18.
Nova Scotia Health labs completed 3,122 tests on Thursday.
"People are answering the call to get tested and helping identify where the virus is in our province, and I thank them for that," said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health. "Getting tested is one of the ways we can work together to contain the spread of COVID-19."
The province has administered 111,403 doses of COVID-19 vaccine and 29,530 Nova Scotians have received their second dose.
Vaccine eligibility expanded
Rankin announced Thursday that people age 70 and older can now book for the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.
New vaccine appointment times have been added for the weeks of April 12 and April 19.
The minimum age to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine is also being lowered.
Nova Scotians between 55-59 are now eligible to receive that vaccine with bookings starting April 6. Currently, the vaccine is only available to ages 60-64.
Atlantic Canada case numbers
- New Brunswick reported nine new cases on Friday for a total of 147 known active cases. Ten people are in the hospital, including five in intensive care.
- Newfoundland and Labrador reported one new case on Thursday. The province had four known active cases.
- P.E.I. reported one new case on Thursday. There were 13 known active cases on the Island.