B.C. tests 114 samples for coronavirus, just one case confirmed
Credit to Author: Tiffany Crawford| Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2020 18:12:10 +0000
The B.C. government said Friday that there were no new cases of the novel coronavirus in the province.
As it is now, there is one confirmed case in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, a man in his 40s, who travelled to Wuhan, the disease epicentre. He is said to be recovering at home.
B.C.’s Minister of Health Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry provided the update at the World Trade Centre Building in downtown Vancouver.
Henry said they have tested 114 samples, but there is still only the one confirmed case.
“Nothing has changed,” she said, adding that they have increased their coordination efforts to ensure that B.C. health officials are prepared.
She said the man who has the confirmed case in B.C. is doing well and is being actively monitored by health professionals on a daily basis.
This is a new virus that has spread to other countries, and does cause very serious illness, said Henry.
Henry said B.C. needs to help the global community halt this virus so the world doesn’t end up with an ongoing illness, like influenza, that shows up every year.
“We want to reassure people that the risk of this virus spreading within British Columbia remains low at this time. All necessary precautions are being taken to prevent the spread of infection. We have multiple systems in place to prepare for, detect and respond to prevent the spread of serious infectious diseases in the province,” said Henry.
On Thursday, the World Health Organization declared that the coronavirus is a public health emergency of international concern, as the disease continues to spread outside of China.
The number of confirmed cases was 9,800 as of Friday morning, according to Chinese officials, and the number of deaths is 213.
Henry said the WHO’s declaration was something “that is not unexpected” given the concern of the virus spreading to countries with weaker health care systems.
The United States issued a Level 4 warning Thursday for Americans not to travel to China, which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed on Twitter. Level 4 is the country’s highest caution reserved for dangerous situations.
Canada also has travel advisories concerning the coronavirus in China, however its warning remains at Level 3, and advises Canadians to avoid non-essential travel to China, and avoid all travel to Hubei Province, including the city of Wuhan.
Many of the world’s airlines have temporarily stopped flying in and out of China, including Air Canada, which halted all flights to Beijing and Shanghai on Thursday.
Scientists in Wuhan have said a majority of people infected with coronavirus experience fevers and shortness of breath, and the worst cases can lead to organ failure.
Also happening Friday, Italy declared a state of emergency freeing up resources to combat the disease, Russia reported its first two cases, as did the U.K., and Singapore is closing its border to Chinese visitors.
Meantime, the BC Centre for Disease Control says there is a lot of misinformation about the coronavirus being circulated online. In a Twitter thread, the agency says the virus is not airborne but is transmitted via larger droplets that fall out of the air, for example when someone sneezes.
The agency also said it is not something that is absorbed in the skin, but rather breathed deeply into someone’s lungs.
B.C. residents concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of, the coronavirus should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 811. Translation services for 811 are available in more than 130 languages.
1/11 There are several misconceptions on social media currently around how #coronavirus is transmitted. Please allow us to clear it up. #2019nCoV
ticrawford@postmedia.com
-With files from Postmedia