13 deaths from previous reporting periods announced in N.S. COVID-19 weekly update

Nova Scotia has reported no new COVID-19 deaths within the latest reporting week from Nov. 29 to Dec. 5 

But the province recorded 13 more deaths from a previous, unspecified time period, according to information released Thursday.

Those deaths were listed in a new category added to Nova Scotia's COVID-19 dashboard on Nov. 3.

The province said deaths reported in this category could be from any past reporting period, but most likely to be within weeks or months of being reported.

Since March 2020, Nova Scotia has recorded 670 COVID-19 deaths.

The province reported 509 new cases confirmed by PCR tests in the latest time period — a daily average of about 73. This is down from last week, when there were 544 PCR-confirmed cases.

Nova Scotia Health reported 187 people in hospital with COVID-19 on Thursday. That is down from 249 the previous week.

Of those 187 people:

• 25 were in hospital for COVID-19 (including four people in ICU).
• 124 were in hospital for something else but have COVID-19.
• 38 patients contracted COVID-19 after admission.

The IWK Health Centre reported fewer than five hospitalizations on Thursday.

Health-care staff off work 

Nova Scotia Health said there were 120 employees off work Thursday due to being diagnosed with COVID-19, awaiting test results or being exposed to a member of their household who tested positive.

The IWK reported 51 employees off work due to COVID-19 or isolating because of COVID-19 on Thursday.

This is up from 23 from the previous reporting period.

Vaccine outreach in African Nova Scotian communities

In a news release on Wednesday, Nova Scotia Health announced it will hold three community-focused drop-in vaccine outreach clinics over the next week.

"Due to anti-Black racism, social and economic factors, people of African descent are at high risk for contracting COVID-19, and are disproportionately affected by severe illness and hospitalization," Dr. David Haase, retired physician and infectious diseases specialist, said in a news release.

No appointments are needed. Clinics will be set up at:

• Wallace Lucas Community Centre on Friday, Dec. 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Mulgrave Park Caring and Learning Centre on Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• The Henry G. Bauld Centre, Tuesday, Dec. 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

"It takes two weeks after immunization for COVID-19 vaccines to build immunity, and so the timing for vaccines before the holidays is very important," Haase said.