COVID-19: N.S. premier, top doctor to hold briefing as St. FX outbreak continues, cases soar
Global News
A COVID-19 briefing for Nova Scotia is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. AT and will be live-streamed here. Cases have soared in recent days following an outbreak connected to St. FX.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang and Health Minister Michelle Thompson are set to hold a COVID-19 briefing Monday afternoon.
The briefing begins at 3 p.m. AT and will be live-streamed here.
The province reported 240 new cases of the virus over the weekend, driven by an outbreak that began at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish.
The school’s president and vice-chancellor, Andy Hakin, has since revealed he too has tested positive for COVID-19. He also apologized last week for the university’s role in the growing outbreak, which has been attributed to their X-ring graduation ceremony and social events.
The province has said that a spike in testing — and positive cases — has led to a backlog in follow-ups with people.
“People whose lab test is positive will continue to have received an initial contact from public health within 24 hours and they will be provided information on required isolation and testing plus asked to contact their close contacts,” the province wrote in a release on Sunday.
“Detailed follow-ups are being prioritized and may be delayed.”
The province is making COVID-19 rapid test kits more easily available to Nova Scotians. People can now pick up kits, which are packaged with five tests, at public libraries across the province.
