Daily briefing
Dr. Robert Strang announced two new cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia, both of which are associated with Halifax’s Northwood long-term-care facility (one resident and one staff member).
Both Strang and the premier acknowledged the death, on Thursday, of another Northwood resident, bringing total COVID-19-related deaths in the province to 58.
Dr. Robert Strang NS COVID-19 Update 22 May 2020
Strang says the province has come through the first wave of the pandemic “reasonably well” and that recovery will be “all about building environments with an appropriate level of safety” which means environments supporting measures like handwashing and social distancing. He referenced (as he did yesterday) the need to “build supports” that will allow people to stay home if they are unwell. (Read: legislate something better than three days of unpaid sick leave.)
Stang also said that reopening will depend on “strong surveillance,” to which end the province (along with provinces and territories across the country) is adopting an expanded list of symptoms that qualify you for a COVID-19 test. (I don’t know why I wrote that like it’s a bonus, like qualifying for a 50% discount on your next purchase, I blame Friday.)
Moreover, you now need to exhibit only ONE (it used to be “two or more”) of the following symptoms to contact 811 or do the online self-evaluation to see if you should contact 811:
- fever (i.e. chills, sweats)
- cough or worsening of a previous cough
- sore throat
- headache
- shortness of breath
- muscle aches
- sneezing
- nasal congestion/runny nose
- hoarse voice
- diarrhea
- unusual fatigue
- loss of sense of smell or taste
- red, purple or blueish lesions on the feet, toes or fingers without clear cause
If you are thinking, “this is going to capture a lot of people” you would be right — but apparently that’s the idea. Strang said that “in all likelihood” someone with one of these symptoms does not have COVID-19 and people shouldn’t get “all stressed and anxious,” but it’s better to be safe than sorry. He said he’s hearing 811 — which he said is confident it can handle the increase in call volumes — is already receiving more calls and “that is what we want.”
Strang said NSHA is also confident its assessment centers can handle the expected increases in testing as can the microbiology lab in Halifax.
My thought was that nasal congestion/runny nose and sneezing would capture a lot of seasonal allergy sufferers, but CP reporter Mike MacDonald’s first thought was that “fatigue” would open the floodgates, since we’re “all tired.” Strang — acknowledging that he’s tired too — said this is not the same as “unusual” or “extreme” fatigue, which is what 811 operators will be screening for.
The CBC’s Michael Gorman asked how this expansion of testing jibes with what Strang had said earlier about broad testing of asymptomatic people producing inaccurate results and Strang said it’s different precisely because they’re testing not asymptomatic people but people with symptoms, just a longer list of symptoms, which has been adopted because our “medical knowledge” of how the virus presents has grown since the beginning of the first wave of infections.
Strang also underlined that “we won’t be doing this forever,” but the expanded testing and the list of symptoms makes sense now, as we look to reopen the economy.
Numbers
Total new cases: 2
Total cases: 1,048
Total hospitalized: 8
Total in ICU: 4
Total recovered: 961
Total deaths: 58
Total long-term-care facilities (LTCF) affected: 2
LTCF residents: 16 (Northwood) 1 (other LTCFs)
LTCF staff: 4 (Northwood)
Total positive and negative tests to date: 38,453
Age range of patients: under 10 to over 90
Gloves
Strang says gloves in a non-medical setting are not recommended because they give people a “false sense of security” which leads them to wash their hands less frequently.
Rather than wearing gloves, which also pick up the virus, Strang said to rely on “good, frequent handwashing.”
He also suggested using hand sanitizer upon leaving a store.
Phase-less reopening
A reporter asked the premier to clarify Nova Scotia’s approach to reopening which has not involved the presentation of a phased plan.
McNeil said Nova Scotia will provide protocols to all businesses that were forced to close because of the public health order and those that can meet them can reopen. He gave the example of cosmetology, saying protocols have been provided and the information is being shared with salons across the province.
That said, he acknowledged that limits on gathering sizes will continue to impact businesses like restaurants and concert venues.
I actually don’t think my attempt to explain this reopening policy would be helpful, because I have a lot of questions about that have yet to be answered, so rather than add to the general confusion, I will get back to you on it next week.
I can tell you that Strang is considering allowing mourners to gather in cemeteries for funerals and the premier says they’re working with Sport Nova Scotia on rules for summer day camps.
Surgeries
Asked when surgeries requiring longer stays in hospital will be permitted, Strang said we “need to start some place” in reopening the healthcare system and the logical place seemed to be day surgeries and short-term stays, but they are “actively planning” to expand on this.
He said he’s in discussions with regulated and unregulated healthcare providers about protocols under which they can begin to offer face-to-face care.
Any expansion, though, must be done while keeping “some capacity in the system” to deal with any upswing in COVID-19 cases.
(Strang had mentioned earlier that a second wave in the fall or winter is almost certain, although its timing and severity cannot be predicted).
Data gaps
Asked whether the province was considering moving to a unified reporting system to avoid the discrepancies we continue to see between Public Health and long-term-care COVID numbers, Strang said the department of health has a “long-term” one-patient/one-record project — a “single, cohesive approach to data,” but that the world of healthcare data is “complex” and this won’t happen overnight.
Rural development
Today’s briefing ended with a question from Bill Martin of Six Rivers News who asked the premier whether, given the curve has been effectively flattened outside Metro Halifax, other more economically challenged parts of the province could be reopened first to “give them a leg up.”
Martin got an earful but not the earful I was expecting. I thought the premier would say, as he has before, that opening one part of the province where there is no disease would encourage people from the Central Region to travel, potentially carrying the virus with them.
Instead, the premier “rejected the premise” of the question, arguing that there are no economically disadvantaged parts of this province, that we’re all benefiting (equally, apparently) from fish and agriculture exports and increased immigration. Moreover, our population is growing (we’re on a “march to a million,” a phrase I hadn’t heard him use before but can already imagine on a coffee mug, or a shower curtain) and that we’re WORLD CLASS.
Hospital visits
I know this will be good news for many of you so I wanted to be sure to include the loosened restrictions on visiting at the province’s hospitals.
As of today, the NSHA has added the following exceptions to visitor restrictions at NSHA facilities:
Two support people are permitted for:
- People receiving palliative care or medical assistance in dying
- Children admitted to hospital
- Labour and birth
One support person is permitted for:
- Children in outpatient settings
- Patients who need assistance, including but not limited to cancer care, some emergency, outpatient or critical care situations, discharge planning (a healthy person to pick up discharged patients)
- Patients with significant cognitive or physical disabilities who need an essential support person in order to receive care
The NSHA is advising people with questions to speak to their “care teams,” and anyone with symptoms associated with COVID-19 to avoid visiting these facilities.
And on that note, I wish all you world-class people a happy weekend!
