Friday March 6, 2020 ~ VICTORIA, BC
West Shore Voice News
As of early morning March 6, 2020 (Pacific Time), there were 98,192 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says the virus is now in 88 countries, with a growing percentage of confirmed cases outside of China — presently 80,711 in China (82.2%) compared to 17,481 (17.8%) in other parts of the world.
That’s a shift toward global spread; the tally 24 hours ago showed 84.5% of confirmed cases in China and 15.5% elsewhere.
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 3,380 lives (3,045 deaths in China, and 335 outside China).
In WHO stats on March 6, the list shows 45 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada (no deaths) and 148 cases in the USA (10 deaths).
====== 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)
==== 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