Premier Stephen MacNeil and NS chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang (Government of NS photo)
The microbiology lab at the QEII Health Sciences Centre continues to process more test per capita than any other part of Canada and they tested 888 people yesterday, identifying twenty-three new cases.
Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Robert Strang, says this gives us a total of 850 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the province.
“We currently have eleven individuals in hospital, three of those in Intensive Care, we have 392 people who can be considered recovered from their COVID-19 infection, we now have 24,521 Nova Scotians who have been tested and have had negative results, which is really good news.”
Dr. Strang says 189 residents and 82 staff have been diagnosed as positive at ten licensed long-term care homes and unlicensed seniors’ facilities in Nova Scotia.
Each afternoon, Nova Scotia’s Premier and chief medical officer of health tell residents what not to do.
Dr. Strang wanted to let Bluenosers know what we can, and should, do.
“DO reach out and contact someone virtually in your community, especially someone who may be alone, DO mourn, honour, and remember…but do it virtually, Do help someone in your community who, because of age or illness, is more vulnerable to COVID-19 and needs to stay isolated.”
He also says we should share essential shopping with others to reduce the number of shoppers in stores and that we should definitely be grateful for the many things we do have in Nova Scotia.
The COVID-19 crisis and the shut down of many establishments is hitting small businesses especially hard.
Premier Stephen MacNeil say the government has been trying to find ways to help fill the gaps in federal coverage.
At today’s (Friday’s) update, he announced the Small Business Credit Support Program for those that don’t qualify for the federal CEBA program.
“This new stream provides a guaranteed Credit Union loan and a small cash grant of up to fifteen hundred dollars for those that have lost thirty percent of their sales revenue. Businesses will also receive access to free professional advice to help adapt and recover from the impact of COVID-19.”
The Premier thanked the provincial Credit Unions for their work and confirmed that the government will partner with the feds to “provide a commercial rent referral for small businesses that have temporarily closed or experienced at least a seventy percent revenue decline” because of the pandemic.
