Nova Scotia has gone one week without identifying new cases of COVID-19, the province said in its daily update.
One active case remains as of Monday, Sept. 14.
While case numbers are currently low, the Department of Health and Wellness said in a tweet Monday that the 811 line is experiencing high call volumes. People are advised to call the line if they have COVID-19 symptoms to speak with a nurse for further assessment.
811 is experiencing high call volumes. Please try again later and do not auto-redial. Please check your symptoms online at https://t.co/8gNL10vPYQ. #COVID19NS pic.twitter.com/Yspya6WTAG
— Health & Wellness (@nshealth) September 14, 2020
The line has continued to experience high demand since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an emailed statement, the department said it has increased the number of people staffing the service by about 80 people since March. It has also increased the number of active phone lines from 40 to 200.
"While 811 has experienced an increase in call volumes in recent months, the volume remains lower than during the first wave," said a spokesperson with the department in the statement.
Between Mar. 9, and Mar. 31, the line received close to 1,500 calls per day on average. There were close to 1,200 daily calls on average in the entire month of August.
On Sunday, Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs conducted 765 tests, with none positive. To date, Nova Scotia has 1,086 positive COVID-19 cases, 83,576 negative test results, and 65 deaths.
Last week, the province said it was investigating a COVID-19 case that was not added to the total number of positive cases in Nova Scotia. It involves an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 in another province and didn't receive the results until they were in Nova Scotia. That person was exempt from self-isolation for work purposes.
Anyone who has is currently experiencing or has experienced within the last 48 hours one of the following symptoms should visit https://811.novascotia.ca to determine if they should call 811 for further assessment:
- new or worsening cough
- fever (i.e. chills or sweats)
Anyone experiencing two or more of the following symptoms (new or worsening) should also visit the website:
- sore throat
- runny nose or nasal congestion
- headache
- shortness of breath
