The government is reporting three more deaths related to COVID-19 at the Northwood long-term care home in Halifax, bringing the total to 44.
The Department of Health and Wellness said in a release that nine new cases were confirmed yesterday to put Nova Scotia over the 1000 mark, with a total of 1007.
There are now only three licensed long-term care homes and unlicensed seniors’ facilities with active cases of COVID-19, with all but two cases at Northwood.
Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health, said in the release the “We’re doing everything we can to bring the situation at Northwood under control. Our number one concern in responding to this unprecedented public health emergency has always been, and continues to be, the safety and well-being of everyone.”
There have been 32,289 negative test results in the province, seven-hundred and eight people have now recovered and five people are in the hospital, two of them in the ICU.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has announced some changes to a program to top up wages of front-line health-care workers that many didn’t qualify for.
Premier Stephen McNeil said in a release today that he had lobbied the feds for some flexibility and that the province will now provide a $2000 cash bonus after a four-month period for workers in the health-care sector supporting the COVID-19 response.
The Essential Health Care Workers Program bonus is retroactive to March 13 and will apply to full-time, part-time and casual workers as well as cleaning staff and those who volunteered to be redeployed to work at a facility experiencing an outbreak.
The bonus also applies to those who work during the four months but are placed on isolation, quarantine or COVID-19 sick leave.
The province is contributing $13.4 million while the federal government is putting in $80.5 million.
