COVID-19 vaccine arrives in N.S.

Six new cases reported

HALIFAX — The first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine arrived Tuesday in Nova Scotia as the province reported six new cases of the virus.

Public health will administer the initial batch of 1,950 doses Wednesday to healthcare workers who work in settings where people with COVID-19 could be treated such as emergency rooms, intensive care and long-termcare COVID units.

The Pfizer vaccination regemin recommends two doses for maximum effectiveness so there's enough vaccine for 975 workers.

The vaccine is being stored in an ultra-low temperature freezer at Dalhousie University, where the first vaccinations will take place. It's not clear how many days the initial immunization will take, a Nova Scotia Health Authority official said at a technical briefing Tuesday.

The immunization isn't mandatory and Gary O'Toole, the authority's enior director of population and public health, didn't have specifics on how many workers had responded.

"Our clinic scheduled for heatlh-care workers Wednesday will run from 8 a.m. to about 6:30 p.m.," he said. "We plan to vaccinate approximately 350 people in that group. And, of course, that will depend on uptake and how many people wish to have the vaccine."

NOT MANDATORY

So far no provinces, including Nova Scotia, are making the COVID-19 mandatory for any group and that includes health-care workers, said Dr. Shelly McNeil, the health authority's chief of infectious diseases.

"There isn't an intention to make this vaccine mandatory, we never do that really, but we will expect people both in the general public and amongst health-care workers to continue to follow all of the preventative measures

that are in place now. That's largely because we don't have information yet about whether the vaccine will prevent people from asymptomatic or infection without symptoms and may be still able to transmit the virus."

About 41 per cent of health-care workers got a flu shot last year in Nova Scotia, and only 36.6 per cent in the central zone, which includes Halifax, according to Health Department statistics.

O'Toole said the first recipient of the vaccine has been chosen but he gave no more details.

In emails later Tuesday, a Health Department spokeswoman said media access to the first-vaccination event will be limited because of COVID-19 restrictions. Communications Nova Scotia will take still photos and CBC Nova Scotia will act as a pool media outlet for video footage.

After the initial batch of 1,950 doses, the province will receive weekly batches, said Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed, the province's deputy chief medical officer of health. The specific amount of those weekly batches isn't known but she said at this point the province expects to get 5,800 doses in total by the end of December.

There are many unknowns when it comes to vaccine amounts, administration of clinics and other details that will be worked out over the coming months as the immunizaiton program expands, she said.

"Although the vaccine has arrived today and we anticipate starting tomorrow, this in fact will be a program in constant evolution," WatsonCreed said.

"So we don't anticipate any hard and fast stops and starts as we move from one category of people to another to get the vaccine. It'll be rather a rolling sort of program as we learn new information and as more vaccine becomes available. For us, you can appreciate that this represents quite a ride that we're embarking on, although I would say all of us are happy to be going on that ride with you today."

PANDEMIC MILESTONE

In a news release Tuesday, Premier Stephen McNeil said the vaccine arrival marked a milestone for the province in the pandemic, which began in March.

"As the supply increases, every Nova Scotian will have access to the vaccine. But this will take many months, and I ask everyone to be patient in the meantime as the vaccine rollout begins with front-line health-care workers and the most vulnerable."

The first immunization clinic, operated by Nova Scotia Public Health, will start Wednesday, Dec. 16. Those who work in thDr. Shelly McNeil, NSHA chief of infectious diseases ae following areas will receive the vaccine this month:

• COVID-19 units in hospitals

• emergency departments

• critical care units

• birth unit and early labour unit at the IWK Health Centre

• regional care units Long-term care staff directly involved in patient care in the central health zone, including designated caregivers, will receive the vaccine in December. All other longterm care staff, including designated caregivers, across the province will receive the vaccine between January and March, the release said.

Nova Scotia's immunization plan takes a phased approach, following the National Advisory Committee on Immunization guidance on the COVID-19 vaccine.

The province will continue to receive small weekly shipments of vaccine until the end of March, when the supply is expected to increase.

Between now and March the immunization effort will focus on: front-line healthcare workers who are closely involved in the COVID-19 response long-term care residents and staff older Nova Scotians, starting with those 80 and older, then 75 and older, then 70 and older

"We must use the limited vaccine we receive where it will have the biggest impact in our health-care system and in our communities," said Dr. Robert Strang, chief medical officer of health, said in a news release.

"As vaccine supply increases in the spring and summer months, we will be able to gradually expand who gets the vaccine and where."

NEW CASES

Of the new cases reported Tuesday, three are in the central health zone, two in the northern zone and one in the western zone. All of the newly infected people are close contacts of previously reported cases.

The number of active cases is unchanged at 57. Nova Scotia Health Authority's labs completed 1,612 Nova Scotia tests on Monday.

Since Oct. 1, Nova Scotia has completed 89,419 tests. There have been 337 positive COVID-19 cases and no deaths. No one is in hospital. The cases range in age from under 10 to over 70. Two hundred and eighty cases are now resolved.

TESTING EXTENDED

The province extended COVID-19 testing in the Annapolis Valley following an outbreak at the Eden Valley poultry processing plant in Berwick. Standard PCR swabs will be available at the Berwick and Middleton fire halls Tuesday. The times in Berwick will be 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday although the site will be closed between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. both days.

In Middleton, the times will be 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on Monday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Tuesday.

The Health Department asked people to be patient as they waited for their tests. They also advised people to bundle up because they may have to wait outside in windy and cold condictions on Tuesday.

The province also has extended the deadline for asymptomatic people who want to book a COVID-19 test online until Friday.