Today is the one-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 deaths at Northwood, which is why we published Stephanie Nolen’s outstanding, heartbreaking investigation “What happened at Northwood?” this week. Unfortunately, that story isn’t the only reminder of the risks of C19 in nursing homes: The province is reporting a new case today in “a staff member […]
COVID-19
News updates and questions answered what you need to know about coronavirus COVID-19 virus pandemic in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Posted inNews + Opinion
Yes, we should share the vaccine
This week I—an able-bodied, healthy, working-from-home individual—have: Attended an in-person pottery class, an in-person violin lesson and an in-person yoga class. I went out for drinks after yoga with a friend, and met another friend for drinks the next night. (It’s been a long week.) I went into the office and worked in a frenzy […]
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NS won’t divert vaccines to Ontario but could help in other ways
A press release this morning from the Canadian Medical Association included an “urgent call” for measures that address the increasing COVID-19 caseload in several provinces. Among the suggestions was that of “province-to-province collaboration” on resources—specifically vaccines. And while the CMA doesn’t name any provinces that should give up their vaccines, it’s pretty clear the release […]
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1 person dead, 6 new cases on Friday, April 16
Another person has died of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia. In its daily report, the province identifies her as a woman who was over 80, and she died in the Central health authority zone. She is the 67th declared COVID fatality in the province, and the second C19 death in 2021 (the first was announced March […]
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Premier faces renewed calls for Northwood inquiry
Yesterday morning, The Coast published Stephanie Nolen’s months-long investigation into last year’s deadly COVID-19 outbreak at Northwood long-term care home. Four hours later, the story was at the centre of an exchange at the provincial legislature between official opposition leader Tim Houson, NDP leader Gary Burrill and premier Iain Rankin about the government’s response to […]
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3 cases on a technicality for Thursday, April 15
At last you can read “What happened at Northwood?” the investigative feature by Stephanie Nolen that has occupied so much of my attention this week. It is a powerful, illuminating story about last year’s deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the long-term care home, and I am honoured that The Coast is able to bring it to […]
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8 ways to support Muslims in Halifax this Ramadan
The COVID-19 pandemic made Ramadan 2020 challenging for Muslims everywhere. However, the abrupt nature of the lockdown in Halifax made the fast particularly difficult for Muslims in the city. By the second week of March, strict quarantine measures were in place and by April 23, the night Ramadan officially began last year, we were […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
What happened at Northwood?
A year ago this Saturday, April 17, three residents of Northwood, the long-term care centre in the heart of Halifax, died of COVID-19. Fifty more would die in the course of the next six, frantic weeks. While COVID raged inside the facility, the north end complex was sealed off from the surrounding community. The virus […]
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Remembering Northwood’s COVID-19 dead
In the 44 days between April 17 and May 30, 2020, there were 53 residents of the Northwood long-term care residence who died of COVID-19. They were announced each day as a statistic at the premier’s COVID briefing. Their names, and their stories, were kept anonymous. The death toll became a data point that gave […]
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2 cases and a major leap in vaccine delivery April 14
As we continue to request your patience for minimal case reports this week, let’s get to the day’s numbers. The province is reporting two new COVID-19 cases today: “One case is in Central Zone and is related to travel outside Canada. The other case is in Eastern Zone and is related to travel outside Atlantic […]
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Atlantic bubble dreams for April 19 are popping
It was last month when Nova Scotia premier Iain Rankin first hinted that the Atlantic bubble might be returning in April. But he gave a caveat: “As always, we will be guided by public health as safety is always our primary concern,” he said on March 9 in a COVID-19 media briefing. A few weeks […]
