There have been 71 COVID-19 deaths in the province since the virus first reared its ugly head here. The province has released only sparse details on the ages and locations of each person who died—while at the same time telling the public they’re not just statistics, but people with lives, families and stories.
What can we take away from these tragic deaths when we know so little? We may not know their names and stories, but the numbers themselves can reveal themes of who died at home, how long it took to report deaths, and what age groups are most at risk moving forward. The below graphic represents a collection of untimely deaths, each of them with a name, a grieving family and a story that should be remembered in Nova Scotia’s history books when the pandemic is all but a distant memory.
Top takeaways
1.The youngest death in the province to date is 37-year-old Derrick Carvery, who died at Northwood on May 3, 2020.
2.Northwood’s outbreak in the first wave is responsible for more deaths (53) than the rest of the pandemic in Nova Scotia. For the best account of what happened at Northwood, read The Coast’s story by Stephanie Nolen here.
3.
Nova Scotia reported no deaths between August 24, 2020 and March 17, 2021—a span of almost seven months.
4.The second-youngest person to die in the province was in the third wave, a woman in her 50s who died in early May 2021. The province has not said if she had pre-existing conditions, but it is known that the variants are infecting younger, healthier people.
5.We know very little about who these people actually were. Aside from the names in our Northwood investigation—and a few people who’ve been identified by other media outlets—the province hasn't named any COVID-19 victims or identified them by more than health zone and age group.
