School Holiday Break to be Extended, NS Accepts NACI Recommendations

Written by Bobby Nock. Posted in Local News

The province says it’s adding two days to the holiday break for public schools.

It says the extension was made to make it easier for children to get vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the province says it’s accepted a national recommendation for people 50 and older to get a COVID-19 booster shot.

It says it’s going to expand eligibility for booster doses to include people 60 and older and then work backward in descending age groups.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang says more details on the rollout will be released in the coming days.

The province also announced today it will offer the Johnson and Johnson vaccine at select clinics next week for people who don’t want to get mRNA vaccines like Pfizer or Moderna.

However, Strang says Public Health strongly recommends mRNA vaccines.

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NS Reporting 22 More COVID Cases

Written by Bobby Nock. Posted in Local News

The province is reporting 22 more cases of COVID-19 today.

There are 18 new cases in the Central Zone, with four in the Northern Zone.

With 27 new recoveries, there’s now a total of 147 confirmed active cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.

11 people in the province are now in hospital with the virus, including four people in intensive care.

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AG Releases December Financial Report

Written by Bobby Nock. Posted in Local News

Auditor General Kim Adair says there’s been a significant increase in the province’s net debt and net debt-to-GDP ratio in her December financial report.

However, she also says this is understandable given the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for government intervention to address the effect on the province’s economy.

Adair says the province posted its first deficit in five years in 2020-21 and its net debt-to-GDP ratio climbed to 36 percent.

She says the situation underscores the need for a long-term provincial economic recovery plan.

She says several provinces, including Alberta, British Columbia, and New Brunswick, have released their blueprints for recovery with strategies for creating jobs and increasing investment.

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Problem With Crisis Line Fixed

Written by Bobby Nock. Posted in Local News

The provincial Health Authority says it’s fixed technical problems it was having today with its mental health crisis line.

There were problems with transfers from the Mental Health and Addictions line to the Crisis Line.

Calls made directly to the Crisis Line were not affected.

The line is available 24/7 at 1-888-429-8167.

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Ally Centre Gets Prevention Site Funding

Written by Bobby Nock. Posted in Local News

The Ally Centre in Sydney is one of two groups getting provincial funding to run overdose prevention sites.

The provincial Health Authority says a total of $500,000 will support the operation of the site at the Ally Centre and another site in Halifax.

The province says the funding is part of an effort to prevent opioid overdose deaths.

50 people in the province died from opioid overdoses last year.

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