Wednesday February 5, 2020 ~ BC / NATIONAL
by Mary Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
Today Wednesday February 5 there is a tally of 563 deaths worldwide as a result of the Wuhan Coronavirus (all of those in China except one which was in the Philippines), with 28,018 people infected world wide.
In Canada there are five cases: three in Ontario and two in BC. All of those patients are being treated or are in isolation and are expected to recover.
The coronavirus is thought to have a 14-day incubation period. So anyone who is thought to be exposed but doesn’t yet show symptoms will be quarantined in some manner for 14 days. That includes thousands of people on a cruise ship today (the Diamond Princess) on which two Canadians were found to be sick out of 251 Canadians on board. Twenty infected persons were taken off that ship and taken to hospital in Japan where the cruise ship is moored.
People are reminded to wash their hands regularly, cover their cough, and stay home “to a low threshold” if not feeling well (i.e. even with the mildest of symptoms — including just if feeling a bit under the weather in this flu season). BC Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry yesterday told media that she does recommend avoiding anyone who has travelled back from Wuhan, as a precaution.
While now 371 Canadians say they want to return to Canada on a plane organized by the Canadian government, only 211 can be accommodated on the first flight. There will be two doctors and four nurses on the flight as well as flight crews. A second plane (and/or spots on an American plane) are set to be arranged for the remaining 160 persons who wish to evacuate from China and return to Canada.
The flight destination for the Canadian plane arriving on Friday February 7 is CFB Trenton in Ontario (where anyone arriving from China will be quarantined for 14 days), but will stop first in Vancouver to refuel and to offload any passengers who may have already developed symptoms while on the 13 to 14-hour flight. Dr Henry says health teams are ready to put those patients into isolation at Richmond Hospital and deal with their symptoms.
There will be a section of the plane available to isolate patients who come down with symptoms.
There has not yet been specific information about managing contamination through air on the aircraft. Normally airplanes eject 50% of the air and recycle the rest through a HEPA filter. Apparently the droplets containing the virus are ‘heavy’, and so health officials feel that transmission by air on the plane is not likely, according to a statement received by West Shore Voice News from the BC Ministry of Health yesterday.
As China’s economy now has a big impact globally (due to the sheer volume of their consumer purchasing), the coronavirus outbreak — not quite yet called a pandemic by the World Health Organization — is affecting economic systems and product supply chains.
The World Health Organization is now holding daily press conferences.
The BC Provincial Health Officer will hold a regular press conference each Tuesday.