13 deaths from previous reporting periods announced in N.S. COVID-19 weekly update

Nova Scotia has reported no new COVID-19 deaths within the latest reporting week from Nov. 29 to Dec. 5

But the province recorded13 more deaths from a previous,unspecified time period, according to information released Thursday.

Those deathswere listed ina new categoryadded toNova Scotia's COVID-19 dashboardon Nov. 3.

The province said deaths reported in this category could be from any past reporting period, but mostlikely to be within weeks or months of being reported.

Since March 2020, Nova Scotia has recorded670 COVID-19 deaths.

The provincereported 509 new cases confirmed by PCR tests in the latesttime period a daily average of about 73. This is downfrom last week, whenthere were544PCR-confirmed cases.

Nova Scotia Healthreported 187 people in hospital with COVID-19 on Thursday.That is down from249the previous week.

Of those 187people:

• 25 were in hospital for COVID-19 (including fourpeople in ICU).
• 124 were in hospital for something else but have COVID-19.
• 38 patients contracted COVID-19 after admission.

The IWKHealth Centre reported fewer than five hospitalizations on Thursday.

Health-care staff off work

Nova Scotia Health said there were120 employees off work Thursday due to being diagnosed with COVID-19, awaiting test resultsor being exposed to a member of their household who tested positive.

The IWK reported 51 employees off work due to COVID-19 or isolating because of COVID-19on Thursday.

This is up from23 from the previous reporting period.

Vaccine outreach in African Nova Scotian communities

In a news release on Wednesday, Nova Scotia Health announced it will hold three community-focused drop-in vaccine outreach clinics over the next week.

"Due to anti-Black racism, social and economic factors, people of African descent are at high risk for contracting COVID-19, and are disproportionately affected by severe illness and hospitalization," Dr. David Haase, retired physician and infectious diseases specialist, said in a news release.

No appointments are needed. Clinics will be set up at:

• Wallace Lucas Community Centreon Friday, Dec. 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Mulgrave Park Caring and Learning Centre onTuesday, Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• The Henry G. Bauld Centre, Tuesday, Dec. 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

"It takes two weeks after immunization for COVID-19 vaccines to build immunity, and so the timing for vaccines before the holidays is very important," Haasesaid.