Nova Scotia reports record 394 new cases of COVID-19
CBC
Nova Scotia announced 394 new cases of COVID-19 Friday and said seven people are in hospital, including two in intensive care.
The province said there 295 new cases in central zone, 54 in eastern zone, 27 in northern zone and 18 cases in western zone.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang are giving a COVID-19 briefing today. The briefing, scheduled for 2 p.m., will be live streamed here.
It comes as Nova Scotia announced 287 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, the highest number reported in one day since the pandemic arrived in the province.
It was the seventh day in a row the province has announced more than 100 new infections.
The previous highest daily case count was 227 new infections on May 7.
In light of the jump in cases, the province has placed tighter restrictions on gatherings and businesses starting Friday. Some bars and restaurants report having to endure staffing challenges with some of them closing temporarily due to employees testing positive.
The QEII Health Sciences Centre said Friday it would be postponing some non-urgent surgeries beginning Monday.
"We regret having to reduce any services. However, Nova Scotia Health, like many other employers, is dealing with rapidly growing numbers of staff having to stay out of the workplace due to exposures while the demand for care remains high," Nova Scotia Health said in a news release.
Patients affected by the decision will be contacted by their surgeon.
On Wednesday, the province announced the last day of public school classes for the year will be Friday due to the impact of the rising number of COVID-19 cases on staffing levels and the number of students attending class. Students had been expected to remain in the classroom until Dec. 21.
The province added 16 more school exposures on Friday:
The province maintains a list of school exposures here.