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Coronavirus update January 29: three cases in Canada, up to 160 Canadians will be brought home from China

170 deaths so far (all of those in China)

Patty Hadju, François-Philippe Champagne
Health Minister Patty Hajdu and Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne talking to media in Ottawa about how Canada is handling the coronavirus situation, January 29, 2020 [screenshot]
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Wednesday January 29, 2020 ~ NATIONAL [Updated 9:30 am January 30]

by Mary Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News

The spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus continues. As of this afternoon January 29, there have been 170 deaths — all of those in China, as well as about 8,000 confirmed cases in China. [Update January 30: now 196 Canadians in China want to return home]

The 2019-nCOV virus has spread to several other countries including Canada due to the prevalence of international travel by persons around the globe.

Canada now has three confirmed cases. Two of those are in Toronto (a man who had returned from China, and his wife), and one man in Vancouver (who had also returned from business travel in China, near the originating spot for the virus in Wuhan).

Corona virus
Representation of the new Corona virus that emerged from China in December 2019, spreading in January 2020. [web]

Projections on the cells of the Wuhan Corona virus (2019-nCOV) attach to lung cells, causing lower pulmonary consumption similar to pneumonia. 2019-nCOV was first seen in December 2019. It emerged in a way that is similar (i.e. from animal to human) to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) which came out of in China in 2003 (bats to cats to humans) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) out of Saudi Arabia in 2012 (camels to humans). All cause viral respiratory infections.

Canada has now banned flights to Beijing and Shanghai on mainland China (starting January 30 through to February 29, 2020), though flights can still leave those cities to come to Canada. Reportedly 160 persons have claimed assistance from Canada to return here. For that exodus a plane has been arranged while Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs François-Philippe Champagne has explained that more planning needs to be done before the plane can fly (such as having trained health personnel on the flight, and a plan for health checks and possibly some level of quarantine once they arrive back home). A timeline has to be determined and Canada “needs to be ready for any cases that come”, said Minister Champagne.

Canadians are advised to avoid any non-essential travel to China, said Minister Champagne.

Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu reiterated the three cases that are known in Canada and that Canada ‘s public health system is working hard to be prepared. Asked whether returning travellers would be held in quarantine, Hajdu replied: “We will always work to ensure the health of Canadians, whether they’re abroad or whether they’re here. So, yes what we’re looking at is a scenario where we have all the measures in place to protect Canadians from exposure to the virus. Having said that, that’s about as far as I can go.”

Hajdu said not all Canadians want to come back to Canada from China. They may just need supplies (given the halt of all transportation in and out of Wuhan and other cities for over a week now), or may be separated from family members in another region of China and wish to be reunited there.

In the USA a flight returning 201 Americans from China saw those people heading to an army bunker where they will spend up to 14 days which is believed to be the incubation period of this new virus that jumped the species barrier from animal to human. Hajdu said the US has a process that is working “efficiently”.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the spread of the virus is of “grave concern”, occurring now in 12 or more countries. Their chief spokesperson Dr Michael Ryan said today that “the whole world needs to be on alert and be ready for any cases that come”. WHO is falling short of formally declaring a global public health emergency (which would have significant economic impacts around the world), but will be meeting again on January 30 to discuss further.

Representatives of various Centers of Disease Control in Canada and the USA have said on national news that preparations are far in advance of what was in place when the SARS epidemic happened in 2003. There have been 17 years to plan for this sort of eventuality.

BC’s Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry reminds people to follow the usual good practice for flu season such as frequent hand washing, sneezing into a sleeve, using tissues and discarding of them properly, staying home if you’re sick, and not sneezing or coughing onto others.

Some constructive criticisms of how BC and Canada are handling the delivery of public information have included the suggestion that information be released and available in digestible, easy to understand components in ways that simplify things from technical scientific jargon and complex websites. Mainstream media (and this news service) are committed to doing exactly that.

==== OTHER:

BC Centre for Disease Control – Coronavirus updates

One case of Coronavirus in BC confirmed by Provincial Health Officer (January 28, 2020)

First statement about the Coronavirus by BC Health Minister and Provincial Health Officer (January 25, 2020)

Coronavirus claims 56 lives so far in China, as Canada prepares (see page 1 in the January 24-25, 2019 weekend edition of West Shore Voice News)