(Photo: Dr. Robert Strang , courtesy of CPAC)
Additional restrictions, changes to the testing strategy and an expansion of booster doses were all announced today at the Nova Scotia COVID-19 briefing.
The province added 522 cases on Tuesday. Nine people are in hospital, with three in the ICU.
Premier Tim Houston and Chief Medical Officer of Health Doctor Robert Strang announced a slew of changes to how the province is combating the massive increase in COVID-19 cases.
Houston announced an expansion of booster doses. Starting Wednesday, those over 50 who have been fully vaccinated for over six months will be eligible for their COVID-19 vaccine booster dose. He says by mid-January almost 640,00 people will tip over the six-month mark and as of right now they have 100,000 doses.
“[People] over 50 and over six months since their second dose, that will consume those 100,000 doses,” says Houston. “For everyone else, I want you to know we’re working with the federal government and we hope to have the necessary doses in time to meet the need over those next couple weeks.”
Changes are also being made to Nova Scotia’s COVID-19 testing strategy. PCR testing will be limited to people who show symptoms or are close contacts and are at increased risk for severe disease, live in a congregate living setting or are integral to the healthcare system. Those with symptoms that are not in one of those groups will have to use rapid tests. Dr. Strang says if your rapid test is positive, you do not need to do a follow-up with a PCR test. He says to assume you have COVID-19, begin isolating and let your close contacts know.
Dr. Strang said the changes do not come easily.
“We have built our pandemic response with a key component of testing, but omicron and the challenges it’s presenting is forcing us the change our approach,” says Strang. “We do not have an unlimited supply of rapid test kits, we are working rapidly to get as much as we can but it’s not unlimited.”
The province is bringing in more restrictions as they try to slow the spread of the omicron variant.
The additional restrictions come into effect on Wednesday morning at 6 a.m. and will be in place until at least January 12.
The timing is terrible, but the Omicron variant is here and is causing very high COVID-19 case numbers across NS.
We’ve been here before, and we know what to do to protect our loved ones.
Here are some of the COVID-19 restrictions that are effective at 6:00 a.m. on December 22: pic.twitter.com/hbobQAXdD1
— Nova Scotia Gov. (@nsgov) December 21, 2021
