12 Nova Scotia long-term care homes experiencing COVID outbreaks

There are 12 active outbreaks of COVID-19 in long-term care homes in the province, according to the Department of Seniors and Long-Term Care.

Theycomeat a time when COVIDcases andhospitalizations have increasedand deaths have decreased compared to September.

In October,all 27 reported deathswere people 70 or older, and 12 of them were living in a long-term care facility.

The department said along-term care facility is considered to have an outbreak when there are two or more connected cases reported.

Department spokesperson Khalehla Perrault declined aninterview request and wouldn't saywhere the outbreaks are, citing privacy concerns.

Perrault would not say how many cases have been reported at each facility, and how long each outbreak has been ongoing.

This is despite the province regularly releasing COVID datato the public for most of the pandemic, including information on which long-term care homes were experiencing outbreaks.

Taigh Na Mara long-term care home

Earlier this week, a family member of a resident at Taigh Na Mara, a long-term care home in Glace Bay, contacted CBC News with concerns about an outbreak at the facility.

Nova Scotia Health confirmed on Wednesday that aCOVID outbreak was declared in one wing of Taigh Na Maraover the weekend, with 21 of the 32 residents testing positive.

Spokesperson Krista Keough also said 10 of the facility's staff members were off work, either from COVID orother health-related issues.

Keough said for the health and safety ofresidents and staff, allgroup activities are on pause.

When CBC went back to Nova Scotia Health on Thursday to ask the locations of the other 11 active outbreaks, Keough would not say, and passed the request to the Department of Health and Wellness. The department had not responded by publication time.