Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Canadian Armed Forces is deploying 60 service members to help out at COVID-19 testing centres in Nova Scotia.
Trudeau made the announcement at a COVID-19 briefing Tuesday, the same day Nova Scotia reported 96 new cases.
"With a spike in cases across Nova Scotia and especially in the Halifax region, numbers have risen quickly and the province requested help," Trudeau said.
Nova Scotia's testing centres have been among the busiest in the country as public health officials continue to encourage widespread testing, even for individuals with no symptoms and no known exposure to the coronavirus.
On Sunday, provincial laboratories completed a record-setting 11,335 COVID-19 tests — enough to test more than one per cent of the province's population. Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, said provincial laboratories are ramping up capacity to 15,000 daily tests.
Not included in those figures are the rapid tests being offered at pop-up sites around the province.
Thousands have been turning out for rapid testing each day since cases began surging in Nova Scotia last week.
It isn't clear exactly what role the Forces will play in Nova Scotia's COVID-19 testing efforts.
The federal government is also deploying military medical personnel to help Ontario's beleaguered health-care system, and Trudeau said Ottawa is "standing ready" with assistance for Alberta, should it request it.
Canadian Armed Forces deploying personnel for Nova Scotia COVID-19 response - CBC.ca
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