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March 29, 2020
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To all staff and physicians
Current situation
As of today, March 29, Nova Scotia has 122 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in people ranging in age from under 10 to mid-70s. Cases have been identified in all parts of the province. Three individuals are currently in hospital. All are travel-related or connected to an earlier case.Seven individuals have recovered and their cases of COVID-19 are considered resolved.Testing numbers are updated daily at https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus.
Weekend highlights
- March 29, 2020: A non-resident at the Magnolia residential care home in Enfield tested positive for COVID-19.Read the news release here.
- March 28, 2020: An employee at R.K. MacDonald Nursing Home in Antigonish tested positive for COVID-19 and an employee at Lewis Hall, a private retirement living community in Dartmouth, has also tested positive. Read the news release here.
- There are no cases of COVID-19 among residents of long-term care facilities in Nova Scotia.
- In all cases above, residents, their families and staff at the facilities have been notified. Public Health is continuing to investigate and is working closely with the all facility administrators.
- While no residents or other staff are showing symptoms, some are now in self-isolation as a precautionary measure and close contacts are being tested.
Our response
Halifax Infirmary COVID-19 Airway Resource Team (CoVART)
The COVID-19 Airway Resource Team (CoVART) is now on call 24/7 for the intubation of critically ill COVID-19 patients at the Halifax Infirmary. This is a highly specialized team consisting of a staff anesthesiologist, anesthesia resident, respiratory therapist and an OR nurse to assist with airway management in an emergency situation. The team can be contacted through locating (902-473-2222) by asking for the CoVART team, or the COVID-19 airway team. Coverage for the team will be 24/7 home call, however as this pandemic expands, we will likely transition to an in house call model.
The hope is that the majority of all requests for intubations will occur in the intensive care setting, however any hospital service can consult us for an intubation of a COVID-19 patient (e.g., medicine, cardiology and orthopedics). In this event, we request that the consulting team has obtained ICU acceptance BEFORE we proceed with a COVID-19 patient intubation.
Reminder: Occupational Health information and guidelines for NSHA health care workers
NSHA would like to reinforce that all staff and physicians experiencing any respiratory/flu-like symptoms should NOT be in the workplace. If you are unwell, please stay home and report your symptoms to the Occupational Health line at1-833-750-0632.
While you are in the workplace, respect the physical distancing of six feet as much as possible, avoid gathering in groups greater than five and ensure proper hand hygiene and wiping own of high touch surfaces.
For further screening criteria/work restriction information for healthcare workers, click here.
New/updated guidance documents and resources
Virtual Care Options for the Primary Health Care System in Nova Scotia during COVID-19
Cancer Care: Updated Visitor Restriction Information Pertaining to Cancer Patients
Staff Guidance on Visitor Restrictions During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Hearts for health care
We’ve been hearing some truly positive and up-lifting stories these past weeks, and we wanted to take this opportunity to share some of them with you.
Staff were greeted with a big thank you, a smile and a burst of sunshine outside of the ambulance entrance at the Annapolis Community Health Centre this past weekend.
Links/contacts
For up-to-date information, please visit NSHA’s coronavirus intranet page.
Questions can be directed to @email.