Nova Scotia under lockdown while Ontario takes steps to relieve strained hospitals

A full shutdown took effect in Nova Scotia on Wednesday in an effort to rein in surging COVID-19 cases, while Ontario enacted more measures aimed at relieving its overburdened hospitals.

The lockdown in Nova Scotia is set to last two weeks and comes as the provinces grapples with nearly 500 active infections – including 75 new cases reported today.

In Ontario, where COVID-19 hospitalizations and intensive care occupancy have hit new peaks in recent weeks, the provincial government issued an emergency order meant to free up hospital capacity.

Under the order, hospitals will now be able to transfer patients waiting for a long-term care bed to any nursing home without their consent.

Ontario’s health minister, Christine Elliott, said transfers without consent will only take place in the most urgent situations, and only if doctors are confident the move won’t compromise the patient’s condition.

The order came as Ontario’s auditor general issued a report Wednesday saying the province’s nursing homes were woefully unprepared for the pandemic due to years of failure to address known problems.

Bonnie Lysyk cited poor ministry oversight and a severe staffing shortage that existed even before the pandemic struck, saying both the provincial government and nursing-home sector had not heeded lessons from the SARS epidemic.

Ontario reported 3,480 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday and 24 more deaths linked to the virus.

Newfoundland and Labrador reported four new cases Wednesday, as well as its first case of a COVID-19 variant first identified in Brazil.

In Quebec, which logged 1,094 new infections and 12 additional deaths on Wednesday, relatives of a woman who developed blood clots and died after receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine urged people to watch closely for symptoms following immunization.

Francine Boyer received the shot alongside her husband on April 9 and began to experience headaches and severe fatigue in the following days, according to a statement issued by her family.

She was treated in hospital and at the Montreal Neurological Institute, but died of a cerebral thrombosis on April 23.

“Ms. Boyer’s family would like to encourage people who receive a vaccine to stay alert for symptoms or unusual reactions and to contact Info-Sante (811) if in doubt,” the statement said.

Public health officials in Quebec have said they believe Boyer is the first person in Canada whose death can be potentially linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Experts have repeatedly stated that blood clots related to the AstraZeneca shot are very rare and the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks.

Meanwhile, Canada is poised to receive its first 300,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday, according to a federal source. The doses are expected to be distributed to provinces next week.

Canada’s panel of vaccine experts, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, hasn’t issued any guidance yet on how the vaccine — the fourth approved for use in Canada — should be used.

Another 650,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine also arrived at Toronto’s Pearson airport, the Canada Border Services Agency said.

The shipment contains only half of what Canada initially expected to receive, however, due to production issues. It was also delayed from last week.

Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press