Daily brief
Dr. Robert Strang on Friday announced 23 new cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia, bringing total confirmed cases in the province to 850. There have been 16 COVID-19-related deaths to date (no new deaths were announced today) and 392 people have now recovered leaving 442 active cases.
Strang said 10 long-term-care facilities (LTCF) are affected, with 189 residents and 82 staff having tested positive. That’s an increase of 31 resident cases and 3 staff cases since yesterday, which adds up to 34 new cases, as opposed to the 23 announced. Strang explained this was down to differences in reporting times and the fact that some of the LTCF cases may have been included in the new cases from a previous day — as in, on Thursday we just knew it was a positive case but on Friday it was entered into Panorama, the public health data system, as a case in a LTCF.
Dr. Robert Strang during the COVID-19 Update for 24 April 2020. Note the cool angle.
A case of COVID-19 has been discovered in a homeless shelter in Halifax. Strang said their “vulnerable populations” team has “rapidly found individual housing” (in hotels) for any residents of the shelter who may have been exposed to the virus. He said they are now devising a “comprehensive response” for the individual and the contacts and looking at “how to work with the homeless shelter.” (I can only imagine what housing security advocates must think when they hear how quickly “individual housing” can be found in a pandemic.)
Strang acknowledged that Ramadan has begun for local Muslims but cautioned that it must be celebrated this year in keeping with public health rules on gatherings and social distancing.
He encouraged Nova Scotians to “get out” and “breathe the spring air” this weekend but to do it in their yards or communities. He said provincial parks and beaches remain closed and you should only use provincial trails you can reach by foot or bicycle.
Numbers
Total new cases: 23
Total cases: 850
Total hospitalized: 11
Total in ICU: 3
Total recovered: 392
Total deaths: 16
Total long-term-care facilities (LTCF) affected: 10
LTCF residents: 189
LTCF staff: 82
Total positive and negative tests to date: 25,371
Age range of patients: under 10 to over 90
LTC
The CBC’s Michael Gorman noted that the prime minister has talked about taking a collective look at how long-term care is “operated and offered” in Canada. He asked the premier what he’d like to see if the feds “decided to get into the long-term-care business?”
McNeil said all the provinces would like to see the federal government, which used to cover 50% of healthcare spending and now covers 20%, “get back into healthcare.” He said an increase to 25% would be a help — even if the feds wanted to target it to services they felt should be uniform across the country.
PPE
I think it’s fair to say there is something of a feud going on between the government and the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU) over the true state of affairs at Northwood.
As you will recall, on April 22, the union issued a press release claiming the LTCF was like a “war zone” with insufficient infection control and a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for the nurses sent in from the Halifax Infirmary to establish a COVID-19 care unit in the facility.
Dr. Strang denied this during that day’s press briefing, accusing the union of “fear-mongering” and “hyperbole.”
Then on April 23, a reporter asked Strang if it were true he had met that very day with the NSGEU to discuss its concerns, including those over PPE and Strang said he had not.
Then on April 24 (today), the union sent out a second press release (with a different stock photo of a nurse — this is not important, I know, but it’s a pet peeve of mine) stating that any deployment of its members to Northwood “must be done on a volunteer basis” and not by ministerial order. It then stated:
As a further update, NSGEU is pleased to report there have been important improvements in infection control protocols and access to appropriate PPE at Northwood Manor since the NSGEU went public with our members’ concerns on Wednesday.
During today’s press briefing the premier — after offering his thanks to the NSHA, the IWK, the nurses’ union and UNIFOR — said that they had provided “full PPE to anyone going into Northwood” last weekend adding:
I don’t want anyone to believe the NSGEU had anything to do with that.
The impression created by the press release was “completely false and wrong,” he said before thanking the unions who have “put aside the differences” they may have had with the government during this pandemic.
I think we’ll have to send this one to arbitration.
Commercial rent relief
Premier McNeil announced his government would be joining the federal government’s commercial rent relief program, which is expected to lower rent by 75% for small businesses that have been affected by the pandemic.
The Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance for small businesses will provide forgivable loans to qualifying commercial property owners to cover 50 per cent of three monthly rent payments payable by eligible small business tenants experiencing financial hardship during April, May and June.
The loans will be forgiven if the mortgaged property owner agrees to reduce the eligible small business tenants’ rent by at least 75 per cent for the three corresponding months under a rent forgiveness agreement, which will include a pledge not to evict the tenant while the agreement is in place…
Provinces and territories will cover up to 25 per cent of costs, subject to terms of agreements with Ottawa. They will also ensure implementation of the measures.
Nova Scotia’s contribution will be $9 million.
Qualifying small businesses must pay less than $50,000 per month in rent and have temporarily suspended operations or experienced at least a 70% drop in pre-COVID revenues. The program is also available to charities and non-profits and will be administered and delivered by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.
The premier also announced a Small Business Credit and Support Program for businesses with a payroll under $20,000 that have experienced a decline in revenue from sales of at least 15% in March or at least 30% in April, May or June:
“Many small businesses don’t qualify for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit [CERB] and need our help,” said Business Minister Geoff MacLellan [in a press release] “We’re focused on offering programs that complement federal programming and bridge gaps. This new stream provides small businesses much needed access to cash and other business supports to help them now and after the pandemic.”…
Qualifying businesses will receive a cash grant of up to $1,500 and a “COVID-19 Business Continuity Voucher of up to $1,500, to help hire a private consultant for advice and support” (And here I was worrying no one would make the consultocracy whole).
Here some other salient facts:
- funding for the grant will come from the existing contribution agreement between the province and Dalhousie University
- the Business Continuity Voucher Program will be administered by Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI). The grant will be delivered through the Nova Scotia Co-operative Council. Applicants will be referred to the NSBI regional business development advisor to identify other COVID-19 related programs they might be eligible for
- the package will be available until June 30
- this is in addition to other supports previously announced, including the Small Business Impact Grant, Rent Deferral Guarantee Program, Worker Emergency Bridge Fund, deferring fees, loan and interest payments
The program will be available as of Wednesday, April 29.
Testing
As he has the last few days, Strang stressed that the province is not letting up on its testing and encouraged anyone experiencing any two of the symptoms associated with COVID-19 to do the online evaluation and call 811 if indicated (or just call 811 if you have no access to the internet.)
Those symptoms, which are no doubt etched in your memory like the multiplication tables, are:
- fever
- new or worsening cough
- sore throat
- runny nose
- headache
Strang said continuing to test widely and to trace contacts will be key to lifting restrictions. In response to a question, he couldn’t say exactly how many people were involved in the contact tracing but said they have teams — including all the province’s public health nurses — working seven days a week and are looking at ways to add additional support, perhaps medical students, to expand this to include following up with people who test negative.
Asked when the province would begin lifting restrictions and if there were any particular signs he was looking for that would indicate it was safe to lift them, Strang said this has been the topic of ongoing discussions between public health officers at the national level and that the re-opening plans he’s seen (like New Brunswick’s, released today) have all been in line with the national guidance.
He repeated that he would be bringing a plan for Nova Scotia to government next week.
The premier said the lesson they’d learned from watching other jurisdictions was that if you opened too soon, you risked a second wave of infection even worse than the first and they hoped to avoid this.
On the subject of school and daycare reopenings, Strang said there was emerging evidence around how the virus is transmitted between younger children and he had a conference call with public health officials to discuss this on Sunday.
Cape Breton
The Post’s Sharon Montgomery-Dupe said Cape Bretoners are “in the dark” about the COVID-19 situation on the island and wondered if Dr. Strang could release data specific to Cape Breton — particularly about clusters of COVID-19.
Strang responded that they release data by Health Zone and the Eastern Zone includes Cape Breton, that they were looking at released information “at a finer level of geography” but had to balance the desire for information with privacy considerations. He then said that COVID-19 is everywhere — including in different parts of the island, in the CBRM and at two LTCFs in “the Sydney area.” (He didn’t elaborate on which two — it’s known to be at Harbourstone and the Northside Community Care Home has acknowledged one of its patients died of COVID-19 in hospital, but I do not know if there are active cases in that facility.)
Basically, Strang said Cape Breton is in the same boat as the rest of the province and even if there has yet to be a serious outbreak, the potential for one is here, and we have to continue following the public health rules to avoid it.
Answer questions
The premier was asked if he would call a public inquiry into the RCMP response to the mass shooting in Nova Scotia last weekend.
He said he would ask his Attorney General to look into possible ways to “quite frankly…allow the details of this horrible weekend” to be made public and to answer the questions of Nova Scotians.
Disinfectant
Asked how damaging comments like US President Donald Trump’s suggestion people might be injected with disinfectant to fight the virus can be, Dr. Strang looked like a man who’d suddenly realized that as difficult as his job may be, it could be a whole lot worse. (The premier picked up on this, saying “Aren’t you glad I don’t give medical advice?”)
Dear readers, do I really have to tell you how he answered?
Naming names
Writing in the Halifax Examiner, Jennifer Henderson considers Public Health’s refusal to name the long-term-care facilities — both provincially regulated and unlicensed — with confirmed cases of COVID-19. (Unlicensed homes are those with fewer than 10 residents.)
As of today, there are 10 affected facilities and when Henderson asked for a list of names, the Department of Health responded:
We are working to balance the privacy of individual citizens with transparency during this unprecedented situation. Other than Northwood in Halifax, no other individual licensed long-term care home or unlicensed seniors’ facility has more than five residents with COVID-19. Due to these small numbers, we will not be releasing the names of those facilities to reduce risk of identifying individual residents.
Henderson checked the province’s registry of nursing homes — a resource I had not looked up before and which is very helpful — and discovered that of the 92 registered, only 14 had fewer than 20 residents. Most have 50 beds or more.
I had earlier made a list of facilities that have reported cases, and came up with nine:
- Northwood, Halifax
- Harbourstone, Sydney (Shannex)
- Bisset Court, Dartmouth (Shannex)
- Maplestone, Halifax, (Shannex)
- Admiral LTC Centre, Dartmouth (GEM Health Care Group)
- Magnolia residential care home, Enfield
- R.K. MacDonald Nursing Home, Antigonish
- Ocean View Continuing Care Centre, Dartmouth
- Northside Guest Home, North Sydney
But Henderson tells me that Strang is listing facilities with active cases, and that’s not true of all nine facilities above. You should read her article.
Blood collection
The Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) is launching an in-home blood collection service “due to impacts on public and private blood collection services in the province.”
…patients requiring urgent/time-sensitive testing for immediate diagnosis or management of chronic illness who are unable to leave their home due to illness, mobility challenges, isolation due to COVID-19, or risk of undue hardship.
A patient’s physician or nurse practitioner will initiate the request for this service through the NSHA Continuing Care referral process. Referred patients will be contacted by the local blood collection service to book an appointment for the in-home visit.
All other patients requiring urgent blood work can still access NSHA outpatient blood collection clinics by booking an appointment with their local blood collection service.
Pre-screening, social distancing, and additional infection prevention and control measures will be in place to ensure patient safety. Information about NSHA Blood Collection clinics can be found on the NSHA website.
Attention, NS Drivers
The Nova Scotia government is extending the deadline for some Registry of Motor Vehicle services until further notice because of COVID-19:
Driver licences:
All driver licences expiring in March, April, May and June will have a five-month extension from the original expiry date. For example, if a licence expires on April 15, the new expiry date is Sept. 15.
Motor vehicle inspections:
Motor vehicle inspections expiring in March, April or May will now be valid until June 30.
Vehicle registrations:
Vehicle registrations expiring Dec. 31, 2019, and later, are extended until Aug. 31. This includes all vehicle types, as well as off highway vehicles, motorcycles and trailers. Vehicle registrations may be renewed online at: http://www.accessns.ca/renew .
Temporary permits:
All temporary permits expiring in March or later are extended until Aug. 31.
Driving tests:
Knowledge tests and road test bookings for driver licences are unavailable until further notice.
Accessible parking permits:
All blue permanent accessible parking permits are valid until Aug. 31.
Out of province and foreign licence plates and driver licences:
All out of province and foreign licence plates and driver licences are valid until Aug. 31.
Non-essential services:
Non-essential Registry of Motor Vehicle services, such as purchasing handbooks or getting personalized or antique licence plates, are unavailable until further notice.
Urgent Registry of Motor Vehicles services are available by appointment at some Access Nova Scotia locations. Before making an appointment, check service changes and deadline extensions for Registry of Motor Vehicles at https://novascotia.ca/closures . If people still need to make an appointment, they can call 1-800-670-4357.
Tonight’s Distraction
The National Theatre Live is presenting Twelfth Night, Shakespeare’s “whirlwind comedy of mistaken identity and unrequited love, featuring Tamsin Greig as Malvolia.”
Back in 2017, the Guardian said of this production:
The casting of Tamsin Greig as Malvolia is bound to be the big talking point of this gender-fluid production. Greig is such an instinctive comic actor, it pays off richly. Simon Godwin’s staging is also bright, inventive and boundlessly funny: all I missed was the element of reflective melancholy that makes this, for many of us, the most perfect comedy ever written.
Tamsin Greig as Malvolia (right), with Doon Mackichan as Feste, in Twelfth Night at the Olivier, London. Photograph: Marc Brenner
