A fifth case of coronavirus has been revealed in B.C. on Friday.
The woman is in her 30s and flew into YVR from Shanghai recently, before driving to her home in the B.C. Interior region.
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B.C.’s top medical health official, Dr. Bonnie Henry, said Friday the woman had not been in the Hubei Province in China, which is understood to be the global epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.
It’s believed the woman’s symptoms started around the time of her arrival at YVR and health officials are looking at whether or not they need to contact other people on her flight.
“She had a small number of close contacts (after the flight),” added Henry on Friday.
Asked what the chances are of other passengers on that flight contracting the disease, Henry said the risk is “still very low.”
“My understanding is that the onset of symptoms were during the flight and she was wearing a mask.
“We have a protocol for following up, (which involves) checking passengers three rows and back and forth…then we connect with them.”
Henry said the health authorities were not yet in a position to name which airline the woman flew in with and on what day.
“We’re not going to be giving those details right now…(we) don’t want to unnecessarily alarm people,” said Henry.
“We need people to be able to trust us and come forward. We will be able to give more information next week.”
The woman, added Henry, is in isloation at her home in the Interior and is being monitored by the health authority there.
Asked if there has been any more consideration of banning flights coming into YVR from China, B.C. health minister Adrian Dix said they continue to work closely with the federal government.
“(We) take every situation seriously and we ensure people coming back (into Canada) have the correct access to health care,” said Dix.
“The advice from the World Health Organization and the federal government is that we don’t (ban flights).”
Referring to messaging being put out by the Chinese consulate in Canada that people with coronavirus concerns should call 9-1-1, Henry reminded people that the number to call for health advice is 8-1-1.
Four of the five cases are in the Vancouver Coastal Health region – which includes Richmond – are in stable condition and are still recovering in isolation at home, said Henry on Tuesday.
It emereged on Friday that Africa has its first confirmed case of coronavirus after a person in Egypt tested positive for the disease.
The person, who is not Egyptian, is in hospital isolation, the country’s health ministry said.
The ministry said it had immediately informed the World Health Organization and taken all necessary preventative measures.
Numbers continued to climb after the government changed the criteria by which it tracks confirmed cases. China on Friday reported 5,090 new coronavirus cases and 121 new deaths in the previous 24 hours.
The authorities said a total of 63,851 people had been infected by the coronavirus and at least 1,380 had been killed by the disease. Most of the cases occurred in Hubei Province, the center of the outbreak, which recorded 4,823 new cases and 116 deaths over the same period.
The tally in Hubei jumped most drastically on Thursday after the authorities changed the diagnostic criteria for counting new cases. The government now takes into account cases diagnosed in clinical settings, including the use of CT scans, and not just those confirmed with specialized testing kits.
Earlier this week, Henry urged the Lower Mainland’s Chinese community to go about their business, despite the coronavirus death toll topping 1,000 on Tuesday.
Henry was asked Tuesday morning at a media conference if it was necessary for events to be cancelled, especially in the Chinese community, where people are avoiding public places in their droves
Henry gave a flat “no.”
“The risk is still very low here (in B.C.) so, no, I don’t believe we should be cancelling events,” Henry added at the time.
“The message is the same, if you’re feeling sick, stay at home. Wash your hands frequently and take precautions if you’re coughing and sneezing.”
Henry said that, as of Tuesday, 371 samples have been tested for coronavirus in B.C. and the number of new cases is starting to level off.
“Most people that have been tested have viruses consistent with this time of the year, such as the flu.”
Henry has previously urged people who’ve travelled from the Hubei province of China, the global epicentre of the virus outbreak, to self-isolate for 14 days when they return to Canada and B.C.
Asked how the authorities know such people are self-isolating for that time, Henry said they’re relying on the CBSA at the airport to give the right advice.
“(People from the Hubei province) are being told to get in touch with the health service within 24 hours.
“People coming back from others parts of China are being asked to monitor themselves for symptoms.”
The News reported last week how two more people tested positive for the coronavirus in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, bringing the provincial total to four.
Henry said the two new cases were connected to the woman in her 50s that was revealed the previous week as being the second confirmed case in the province.
Henry told media last week that the two new cases were family members of the woman.
She added that the two new cases are visitors from the Wuhan area, in Hubei province, where the virus is believed to have started late last year.
According to Henry, all three people in that household were in self-isolation and are reporting to the health authorities.
She also reiterated advice for people to consider quarantining themselves and their children for 14 days if they have recently travelled back from the Hubei province in China, the global epicentre of the outbreak.
B.C. health minister Adrian Dix chipped in, saying, “If you’re sick, stay away from work, if your kids are sick, stay away from school.”
The Richmond News previously asked the B.C. Ministry of Health to explain why the patients’ city of residence is not being given.
We were told by a ministry spokesperson that “in order to maintain the privacy of the patient, we are not releasing their location at this time.”
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
