The number of people with COVID-19 in Maritime hospitals this summer continues to climb, with more week-to-week increases in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The extra care required for hospital patients infected with COVID-19 has been adding weight to an already stressed health-care system.

There are plenty of walk-in clinics in the Halifax area, but finding one that isn't already filled up is becoming more of a problem. “I've even experienced it myself over the Canada Day weekend,” said Leisha Hawker, president of Doctors Nova Scotia. She says walk-in clinics, on average, are turning away more people than they're able to book appointments for.

To fix the family doctor shortage in Nova Scotia, it’s often suggested, maybe Dalhousie Medical School should just train more family physicians. If only it were that simple. The gap is too wide. Training takes resources — including current family doctors willing and able to teach — that are already in short supply, as well as time. 

The Nova Scotia government has launched a new website that allows people to track the province’s health-care data. The province says the Action for Health website is the first if its kind in Canada. “We don't believe there's any other jurisdiction in the country that's sharing this level of data,” said Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson.

Nova Scotians are feeling a mix of relief and trepidation now that all remaining mandatory COVID-19 restrictions end on Wednesday.

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