COVID booster, influenza vaccine clinic scheduled for Queens Place Emera Centre

By Rick Conrad

Queens County residents who haven’t received their latest COVID booster or influenza vaccine will get another shot at it on Tuesday. 

Nova Scotia Health is organizing a COVID-19 and influenza immunization clinic at Queens Place Emera Centre on Jan. 9, from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The public health mobile unit will be offering the following vaccines: COVID-19 Moderna XBB.1.5, the influenza vaccine for people from 6 months to 64 years old and the high-dose influenza shot for those 65 and over.

Officials are encouraging people to book their appointments ahead of time, though some limited drop-ins may be available.

COVID-19 rapid test kits will also be available.

According to Nova Scotia’s online vaccine booking page, the next available appointments in the Liverpool area after Tuesday are on Jan. 16.

Recent figures from the Public Health Agency of Canada show that 14.2 per cent of Nova Scotians have received the most recent COVID booster.

Public Health officials have urged Nova Scotians to make sure they are up to date on their vaccinations, as COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses are still hospitalizing people across the country.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Listen to an audio version of this story below.

COVID rapid tests becoming harder to find

COVID test kit package

COVID test kit. Photo Ed Halverson

It’s seems rapid COVID tests are becoming more difficult to find across the province.

Nova Scotia Health say they are aware of increased demand for testing kits and are working to distribute more to their community partners.

The department has increased the number of kits they delivered in July by 34,000 above the almost 234,000 distributed in June.

Rapid tests can be found at most public libraries and family resource centres, MLA offices, Public Health Mobile Units, and for those using the services of Feed Nova Scotia and Access Nova Scotia.

Some regional libraries have been delayed in receiving their test kits, but Nova Scotia Health says they are available at all main branches.

In Queens, the Thomas Raddall library still has stock as does MLA Kim Masland’s office.

Public Health no longer recommends testing for COVID if no symptoms are present but says it’s still a good idea to have a couple of tests on hand in case symptoms develop.

Click here for a complete list of sites where test kits are available.

Follow this link to book a COVID test at any one of the more than 30 locations across Nova Scotia.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

To listen to the broadcast of this story, press play below.

School holidays will start early due to staffing shortages

A parent walks to small children to school along a snowy path

Photo Ed Halverson

Students across Nova Scotia will enjoy an even longer December holiday as the province announced the break will start Friday instead of next Tuesday the 21.

Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development Becky Druhan says the decision was not based on public health direction but is designed to relieve staffing pressures.

“We’re very grateful and pleased that Nova Scotians are following the public health directions to self-isolate when they’re close contacts. But some of those people are people who are in the school system and that means they’re unavailable to come in to teach, to support the school or to drive buses, if those are their roles. So, as a result of the numbers of people who are on self-isolation due to being close contacts, there are challenges with operating school,” said Druhan.

The department announced just last week that students would return to class two days later than planned, on January 6.

The reasoning was to allow families to monitor students for COVID-19 before they return to school, for public health to assess COVID-19 in the province, and staff to undertake further professional development to support their teaching, while also allowing more time for families to book vaccination appointments for their children.

Druhan says the extra time will allow public health officials to make the best plans for a safe return to school.

“One of the reasons for that is about giving public health some additional time to be able to make a determination about the epidemiology and what the situation is and to ensure we have that time to have really good decisions around what measures need to be in place coming back.,” said Druhan. “And so public health will be taking the time over the holidays to make those assessments. We’ll be working very closely with them to make sure that whatever new measures need to be in place when we come back in January are ready to go.”

The announcement to extend the school break comes as the province reports 178 new cases of coronavirus.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

To listen to the broadcast of this story, press play below.

MLA contracts COVID-19

A woman stands smiling in front of a large truck

Queens MLA Kim Masland. Photo Ed Halverson

The MLA for Queens has contracted COVID-19.

In a release issued Wednesday, Kim Masland confirms the diagnosis and says she is unsure how she may have picked it up.

Masland who is also minister of Public Works and House Leader, says she is fully vaccinated and is tested regularly, most recently on Remembrance Day.

She began to feel unwell Sunday and was tested Monday.

The Queens MLA was scheduled to attend the official opening of the new infant care centre at Queens Daycare Tuesday but cancelled as a precaution.

Masland received the positive test result Wednesday morning.

In her statement Masland says, “This shows how contagious this virus is and how important it is to be vaccinated and follow public health measures. I am not feeling well, but thankfully my symptoms are mild and I know that the vaccine is preventing me from becoming seriously ill.”

She expressed concerns for those with whom she has recently been in contact.

Masland says this is a reminder that COVID-19 is still with us and it is critical to continue to follow public health protocols.

She urged people to continue to get vaccinated and to stay home if they are feeling unwell.

Masland says she will continue to work with public health and requests privacy as she recovers.

Her office remains open to address constituent concerns.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

To listen to the broadcast of this story, press play below.

Province invests $14 million on school COVID plan

Education Minister Zach Churchill unveils $14 million for schools

Education Minister Zach Churchill unveils $14 million for schools. Photo: screen shot from Zoom meeting

Nova Scotia is spending more to help students and schools through COVID-19.

Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development Zach Churchill announced $14.3 million from federal Back to School funding would be going to schools to assist with healthy food programs, math and literacy programs, and providing more personal protective equipment.

The $1.5 million investment in healthy food options for students is divided into two streams. $500,000 will go towards buying food for the school lunch programs and the remaining $1 million will support what the department is calling an emergency food response fund. Minister Churchill explained that will be used to respond to the food needs of students if they need to learn from home.

“That can look like pre-paid cards for the grocery store or it can look like delivered bags of food depending on the community, and we’ll leave that up to folks on the ground, on the front lines to determine the best way to get that food, in those situations to the students and families that need it,” said Churchill.

The bulk of the money at $4.1 million will be earmarked for new online math and literacy programs.

Another $3.8 million will be used to install 950 touchless water stations, ensuring they are available in every school.

And $2.7 million will ensure ventilation systems are routinely inspected and repaired. That money is over and above the budgeted costs for maintenance.

Churchill commended students and school staff for their efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus during the second wave. He said so far, it looks like it’s working.

“Speaking on behalf of the education system I think our teachers, principals, support staff, our cleaners, our students should be proud as well because it seems at this point, the majority of people are doing their part to make a difference and protect people from the virus,” said Churchill.

With the holidays approaching, some universities are already looking at extending the Christmas break to allow students to better cope with COVID-19 restrictions around travel.

Churchill said his department hasn’t made a decision yet on whether or not they will follow suit.

“We’re considering our options so those conversations are ongoing currently, in terms of how to approach Christmas break and if there’s any adjustments we need to make in our plan,” said Churchill.

He said any changes will be made after consulting with public health.

The minister was also asked if his department had been approached by public health officials about moving rapid testing into the schools, given the large number of Nova Scotians who are directly connected to the education system.

“We leave that decision to public health. Our job here is to work with them on implementation of their directives and if they believe that that is a necessary tool to enhance our testing protocols here in Nova Scotia, we’ll, of course work with them to implement that,” said Churchill. “We have not received that recommendation to date.”

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson