Ill workers eligible for sick leave

149 new cases reported

Nova Scotians who miss work because of COVID-19 will be eligible for sick leave relief from the provincial government under a new program announced Wednesday.

People who cannot work remotely and miss less than 50 per cent of their scheduled work time in one week may be eligible for four paid days through the COVID-19 Sick Leave Program.

This includes those who need to take time off because they are awaiting a COVID19 test, and those who are getting tested, are self-isolating while awaiting test results or are going to get vaccinated.

Nova Scotia's COVID-19 Sick Leave Program covers employee wages, including wages of self-employed people, up to a maximum of $20 per hour or $160 per day. The maximum payment over the 12-week period is $640 per worker.

“Many people do not have access to sick benefits, even if it's just needing to stay home for a couple of days if you have symptoms or if you're waiting for (test) results,” said Premier Iain Rankin at a news conference Wednesday with Dr. Robert Strang, chief medical officer of health.

“And that can cause a financial burden.”

The sick days do not have to be taken consecutively.

Any days taken between May 10, 2021, and July 31, 2021, may be eligible for the program.

‘VERY HELPFUL’

Eligible businesses that continue to pay their employees during their leave can be reimbursed through the program.

Rankin said the program is meant to complement the federal government’s Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit, which compensates an employee who has been off for 50 per cent or more of their scheduled work week because of COVID-19.

Nova Scotia Federation of Labour President Danny Cavanagh welcomed the sick leave announcement.

"We have been lobbying for paid sick days for a long time and through our campaign work, we know almost 500 people have sent letters to government in support of paid sick leave,” he said in a news release.

“Four days will be very helpful to thousands of workers right now as they so desperately need paid time off to protect themselves, their families and their co-workers. The Nova Scotia Government plan offers one day more than what Ontario and B.C. have allotted for their workers.”

149 NEW CASES

Nova Scotia reported 149 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the active case total to 1,621 people. There are 116 new cases in the central zone, 11 new cases in the eastern zone, nine in the northern zone and 13 in the western zone.

As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 75 people in hospital including 15 in intensive care.

Nova Scotia Health activated its provincial escalation plan to increase ICU bed capacity in response to the surge of patients requiring the highest level of care.

So far fewer than five intensive care patients (both COVID-19 and NON-COVID-19) have been transferred from the central health zone to intensive care in the northern and western zones.

“Unfortunately a number of Nova Scotians are very sick and the number of hospitalizations is higher than we like,” Strang said at the briefing. “All aspects of our healthcare system are now being impacted by this outbreak.

“So we are not out of the woods yet. And this could get worse in the days ahead. There is always a lag between cases and severe illness and hospitalizations may still increase even while new cases are declining.”

Strang said the new cases announced Wednesday will be the last associated with a backlog in lab testing and data entry that built up in recent weeks so he expects the downward trend in cases to continue.

ASTRAZENECA ON HOLD

A pause on the use of the Astrazeneca vaccine also was announced Wednesday prompted by what Strang called “caution, science and the availability of alternative MRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.”

A very rare blood clotting condition has been linked to this vaccine and Nova Scotia has enough MRNA vaccine to immunize people aged 40 and older.

About 1,000 people had already cancelled their Astrazeneca appointments because of the availability of other vaccines.

Anyone who is scheduled to receive their first dose of Astrazeneca vaccine will be contacted by their clinic for a new appointment for a Pfizer or Moderna shot.

“The vaccine program team is working with our online booking (agency) Canimmunize to get them appointments as soon as we can,” Strang said.

A decision on second doses for people who’ve already received an Astrazeneca shot will be made once more information is received from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.

Astrazeneca has been linked to vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, or VITT, in other provinces but Strang said there were no known blood clot cases in Nova Scotia.

It’s recommended that anyone with any of the following symptoms between four and 14 days after receiving the Astrazeneca vaccine should seek medical help right away or call 911 and say they have received the vaccine:

• shortness of breath;

• chest pain;

• stomach pain that will not go away;

• leg swelling;

• a sudden and severe headache;

• a headache that will not go away and is getting worse;

• blurred vision;

• skin bruising (other than the area vaccinated), reddish or purplish spots, or blood blisters under the skin.