Tuesday February 4, 2020 ~ BC / NATIONAL
by Mary Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
Today Tuesday February 4 a second case of (presumptive) confirmed coronavirus was announced in BC by Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry.
The infected person is a woman in her 50s, in the Vancouver area who had received visitors from the Wuhan area of China (epicentre of the viral outbreak), who are still living with her in her home. She was diagnosed and tested in hospital. The results were known late last night. BC Health officials are tracing back any movements any exposed people have had — in the household or beyond.
The coronavirus is thought to have a 14-day incubation period.
Dr Henry reminds people 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). Dr Henry does recommend avoiding anyone who has travelled back from Wuhan, as a precaution.
While 325 Canadians say they want to return to Canada on a plane organized by the Canadian government, only 250 can be accommodated on the flight. There will be two doctors and four nurses on the flight.
The flight destination 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.
The coronavirus cases in China at last count today were at 20,478. As of mid-day February 4 (Pacific Time) there have been 490 deaths (most of the deaths have occurred in China’s Hubei Province, with 1 in Hong Kong and 1 in the Philippines), with now 186 confirmed cases outside of China (five of those in Canada, two of those in BC, and most recently 10 identified by Japan on a cruise ship).
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.
As of last Thursday, BC had conducted 114 tests for the virus.
The BC Provincial Health Officer holds a regular press conference each Tuesday.