British Columbia reports first case of Wuhan coronavirus
Credit to Author: Scott Brown| Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2020 21:07:38 +0000
The first case of novel coronavirus has been reported in British Columbia, according to provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
Henry said Tuesday that the patient, a man in his 40s who lives in the area covered by Vancouver Coastal Health, arrived in Vancouver last week after travelling to Wuhan, China. He started experiencing symptoms 24 hours later.
The man notified his health-care provider on Sunday that he had travelled to Wuhan city, was experiencing symptoms and would be coming for assessment and care.
A diagnostic test, which was administered Sunday, came back positive late Monday night.
Dr. Bonnie Henry says the risk of spread of this virus within British Columbia remains low at this time.
Henry said the man, who she said is doing well, is not in hospital but is being kept isolated at home, and no members of his family have shown any symptoms as they are being monitored by health officials.
“Multiple times a day we will be in contact with anyone who has had contact with this person,” said Henry.
It will remain a presumptive case until the coronavirus is confirmed by a second test at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.
The province expects to have test results from the man’s case back from the Winnipeg lab within 48 hours.
“But given the history of travel, the contact this person had in Wuhan city and the symptoms they were showing, we are confident that this is truly a case of this novel coronavirus,” said Henry.
If confirmed, it would be the first case of coronavirus in B.C. China has confirmed more than 4,500 cases of a new form of coronavirus, with at least 106 deaths.
The B.C. government said the risk of the virus spreading in the province remains low.
“All necessary precautions are being taken to prevent the spread of infection,” a joint statement from Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said. “We have multiple systems in place to prepare for, detect and respond, in order to prevent the spread of serious infectious diseases in the province.”
The statement said the B.C. Centre for Disease Control has developed a diagnostic test for the new coronavirus and is working to ensure potential cases can be detected quickly and accurately.
Henry has directed health-care workers to be vigilant and to take a travel history for anyone reporting respiratory symptoms; but she said it is not yet necessary for the general public to take special precautions beyond the usual measures recommended to prevent other common respiratory viruses during cold and flu season.
“Regular hand-washing, coughing or sneezing into your elbow sleeve, disposing of tissues appropriately and avoiding contact with sick people are important ways to prevent the spread of respiratory illness generally,” she said.
The flu-like virus spreads in droplets from coughs and sneezes and has an incubation period of one to 14 days.
Anyone who is concerned they may have been exposed to the coronavirus or who is experiencing symptoms — which include fever, cough and shortness of breath — is advised to contact a primary-care provider, local public health office or call 811, B.C.’s free-of-charge health information line.
— With files from The Canadian Press and Reuters
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