HALIFAX — Health officials are stepping up COVID-19 testing in Sydney, N.S., to try and rein in community spread of the novel coronavirus.
They are adding a new pop-up rapid test site at the city's downtown arena today until at least Sunday.
Nova Scotia chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang said Wednesday officials had detected community spread in the region and added that most of the cases have been identified around the Sydney area.
The province reported 19 new cases of COVID-19 in the eastern zone, which includes Cape Breton, on Wednesday.
Strang says the outbreak in the area is predominantly among people in their 20s and 30s and that more testing is needed to identify what is driving the rise in infections.
He says officials are also looking at adding more pop-up sites around various locations in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2021.
The Canadian Press