Strang to hold briefing at 3:30 p.m. as N.S. COVID-19 cases hit all-time high

Nova Scotia reported eight deaths and 57 people in hospital in its weekly COVID-19 update released Thursday. 

The update encompasses March 31 to April 6.

The province also reported a total of 6,991 positive PCR tests, an average of nearly 1,000 new COVID-19 cases per day. This total does not include positive rapid tests.

On Thursday, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said there were 1,300 positive PCR daily cases, eclipsing the previous record of 1,184 positive tests on Jan. 2, 2022. 

Nova Scotia lifted nearly all COVID-19 restrictions more than two weeks ago. Some restrictions remain, including mandatory seven-day isolation for anyone who tests positive and continued mask-wearing at health-care facilities, jails and courts. Students also must still wear masks in school for a few more weeks.

Houston told reporters Thursday afternoon that he's not prepared to re-introduce restrictions, even as some infectious disease experts call for a return to mandatory masks.

"Things have changed. We have high vaccination rates. The variant is different. These are all facts. There'd be lots of people that have opinions on the facts, but the opinions and guidance that I rely on, that the government should rely on, is that of public health," Houston said.

The premier said "there was a time and place for restrictions" but they weren't intended to be in place forever. He also said there are ramifications that come with these rules, such as the impact mandates have on Nova Scotians' mental health and social interactions. 

"I don't want to give the impression for one second that any of this doesn't weigh on any elected official … They're tough decisions," he said.

So far during the Omicron wave, those who are unvaccinated or have received only one dose of vaccine are three times more likely to die of COVID-19 as compared to someone who has had two doses, and are six times more likely to die as someone who has received a booster dose. 

Unvaccinated Nova Scotians are about 5½ times more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 than someone with two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. That figure is based on average hospitalization numbers released from the province from Jan. 4 to March 24.

The province's health authority said Wednesday hospitals across the province are running at 99.5 per cent capacity, with hundreds of staff currently off the job due to COVID-19 — more than at any other point since 2019.