Thursday March 5, 2020 ~ VICTORIA, BC
West Shore Voice News
As of early morning March 5, 2020 (Pacific Time), there were 95,333 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says the virus is now in 85 countries, with a growing percentage of confirmed cases outside of China — presently 80,565 in China (84.5%) and 14,768 (15.5%) in other parts of the world.
Scientists and public health officials are observing that the virus is most easily spread in large droplets by way of direct personal contact, but the virus can also live on surfaces for a number of hours (may vary depending on the surface — i.e. metal, plastic, cardboard, cloth, etc.) and therefore community spread is both possible and happening.
The Risk Assessment level as assigned by WHO is Very High, while in Canada the level is still considered Low but with a concentrated effort to addressing a scenario that health officials expect will get worse.
In total so far, COVID-19 has claimed 3,282 lives (3,015 deaths in China, and 267 outside China).
In WHO stats, it shows 30 cases in Canada (no deaths) and 129 cases in the USA (9 deaths).
BC Public Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry said today that there are 21 cases in BC, with eight of those being new today. One of those cases was discovered during routine influenza testing for someone who sought medical help with flu-like symptoms. [See separate article on Dr Henry’s further news on March 5]
Today BC Health Minister Adrian Dix said BC has conducted more tests for COVID-19 than any other province in Canada. In the USA, Vice President Mike Pence said today there are presently not enough test kits for current needs.
Municipalities, school districts and organizations in Greater Victoria are in various levels of preparation and communication with their constituencies regarding things to do (e.g. sanitizing workplaces) and things that may change (e.g. cancellation of events). [Further news on this in a separate article March 5. link to come]
====== LINKS:
==== BC CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL | BC HEALTH:
For recommendations on
protecting yourself and your community, visit:
http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/coronavirus-(novel)
For more information and latest updates on Twitter @CDCofBC or visit the centre’s website: http://www.bccdc.ca/
For recommendations on protecting yourself and your community, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/BG_Coronavirus_Recommendations.pdf
==== ROLE OF MEDIA: The WHO articulated in a report on February 26 about the role of media: “Yours is a critical role. This is the time for accurate reporting from official sources. Your role in an outbreak is not simply to chase the story; it is to perform a public service. Your actions are public health actions in every respect. You play a significant part in protecting the health and well-being of your fellow citizens,” it was stated by Dr Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. | Editorial by West Shore Voice News on communications effectiveness during the COVID-19 Pandemic (see page 2 in the February 28 to March 2, 2020 weekend digest of West Shore Voice News)
==== PANDEMIC: “While the risk of spread of COVID-19 within British Columbia remains low at this time, we continue to focus efforts on containing and delaying the spread of transmission, as well as preparing for the possibility of a pandemic. A pandemic is the spread of an illness to a large number of people on a global scale,” said Dr Henry on February 29.
==== WILL YOU TRAVEL?: “British Columbians with upcoming travel plans should continue to monitor the Government of Canada travel site for the latest travel advisories: https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/travel-health-notices/210