On Wednesday, Nova Scotia reported one death related to COVID-19 — a man in his 50s in Northern Zone. The province also reported 537 new cases of COVID-19. They include 434 cases in Central Zone, 36 cases in Eastern Zone, 44 cases in Northern Zone and 23 cases in Western Zone. Ten people are in hospital, including three in ICU. An additional patient has tested positive at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital in Antigonish. The total number of cases is still fewer than five. As a precaution, Nova Scotia Health is testing identified close contacts, and other infection prevention and control measures are being put in place. Testing will be made available for all staff and doctors on site who want to get tested. An additional resident at Parkland Antigonish, a seniors’ living community, has also tested positive. A total of three residents and two staff members from the retirement home have tested positive. No one is in hospital. All staff and residents are fully vaccinated.
Paid sick leave for workers affected by the latest outbreak of COVID-19 is coming back in Nova Scotia. Under the temporary program, people can qualify for up to four paid sick days if they can’t work remotely and miss less than 50 per cent of their scheduled work time in a one-week period. Beginning January 10th and running until March 31st, the program will cover employee wages, including those of self-employed people, up to a maximum of 20-dollars per hour or 160-dollars per day for a maximum payment over the 15-week period of 640-dollars per worker.
The Province has expanded eligibility for COVID-19 booster doses to include anyone 50 years of age and older. Booster doses are administered at least 168 days after the primary series. People who received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine or the one-dose Janssen vaccine are still eligible to schedule a booster dose of mRNA vaccine. Still eligible for a booster dose, regardless of age, are all frontline healthcare workers, including community healthcare providers who provide direct patient care; and all designated caregivers. Frontline and community healthcare providers should be prepared to provide proof of designation and are encouraged to bring their professional licence, work identification or letter from their employer to their appointment.
On Wednesday at about 8:30 a.m., New Glasgow Regional Police responded to a business on Westville Road in New Glasgow on a call about a person who was not wearing a mask. After some investigation, a 49-year-old Pictou County woman was charged under the Health Protection Act for Failure to Wear a Mask when in a public place, which constitutes a fine of $2422.00. Late that afternoon, New Glasgow Regional Police responded to the same business for the same reason. This time, a 51-year-old man from Pictou County was charged for Failure to Wear a Mask when in a public place and also faces a hefty fine.
Police in Halifax are searching for two men after an eight-year-old boy was fatally shot Tuesday in the Dartmouth area. A police spokesman says the boy’s death has been ruled a homicide — and investigators believe the shooting was not a random act. Police say gunfire was reported around 4 p-m after a burgundy S-U-V — possibly a Chevrolet with tinted windows — was pulled up next to another vehicle. A 26-year-old man in the same vehicle as the boy was injured, but he is expected to recover from his wounds.
A slight decrease is gas prices in New Brunswick. The price of regular self-serve gas dropped three-tenths of a cent overnight to a new maximum of 144.5 cents per litre. Diesel is up two-tenths of a cent to a maximum of 149.9 cents per litre. Nova Scotia sets its fuel prices at midnight.
