Canada’s first apparent “community case” of coronavirus was reported Thursday, involving a Vancouver-area woman who recently caught the virus without having been out of the country.
Community cases of COVID-19 had been reported in several countries around the world — but not yet in Canada.
A community case indicates that the virus was passed within a community, rather than contracted through travel. Previously, all cases in Canada had involved individuals who recently travelled to other countries such as China, Iran, Italy or Egypt.
Dr. Bonnie Henry, the B.C.’s health officer, said Thursday the case of the woman is of particular concern because she did not travel recently and has had no known contact with anyone else diagnosed with the coronavirus.
Story continues below advertisement
1:09 Who to contact if you have COVID-19 symptoms
Who to contact if you have COVID-19 symptoms
“This is a community case and we are doing a detailed investigation right now to try and determine where her source of infection was,” said Henry, adding the woman was initially tested for influenza.
Henry said officials are doing “disease detective work” to determine the source of the woman’s infection.
“There’s likely at least one other person out there who has this disease or had this disease, and we need to find them,” she said.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said the case calls in to question whether the disease may be spreading in the community. She said she has “every confidence” that B.C. health officials would work to determine if that has occurred.
What does that mean for Canada?
Roojin Habibi, a global health lawyer and research fellow at York University’s Global Strategy Lab, explained that news of the first reported community case is Canada likely isn’t a surprise to health officials who have been preparing for it.
“Public health officials have expected this for a while now, and it’s just a matter of deploying the resources that we have to contain it within communities,” Habibi said. “It’s just something that we have to brace for — this is going to be spreading within our communities beyond just international travel.”
Story continues below advertisement
Earlier this week, federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu said officials are trying to “contain and delay” community outbreaks in Canada, at least until after the typical flu season is over.
3:41 The economic impact of the coronavirus, explained
The economic impact of the coronavirus, explained
When it comes to preparing for a larger outbreak, Hajdu said the federal government is working to ensure there will be “adequate personal protective equipment for front-line workers.”
The total of confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 in Canada reached at least 51 on Friday. Health officials have said the risk posed by COVID-19 in this country remains low, but they are preparing for a possible outbreak similar to the ones seen in Iran, South Korea, Italy and China.
Habibi noted that the reported community case indicates there may be others in Canada.
“Some of them may be asymptomatic, so you might not even know that you have it… feel[ing] that it’s just a mild seasonal flu,” she said. “So the fact that we’re seeing a reported community case is indicative that there may be more out here.”
She noted, however, that the cases aren’t all the same and aren’t all serious. That means that Canadians should not panic, but instead continue following the same advice officials have offered for weeks.
“The best thing we can all do right now is to just take precautions. Keep your distance from people who seem sick.”
Tweet This
“Let the people who are sick wear masks,” she said, noting other basic hygiene practices, including hand-washing, should be followed as well.
Story continues below advertisement
Cases of coronavirus in B.C.
B.C. currently has 21 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 13 of which have connections to Iran.
The four new ones announced in B.C. Thursday all involve people who had close household contact with previously announced cases. Those cases involve a man in his 20s, a man in his 30s, a woman in her 50s and a woman in her 60s.
B.C. is also closely watching the situation south of the border in the state of Washington, where several people have died from COVID-19.
2:31 B.C. health officials announce 8 new cases of COVID-19
B.C. health officials announce 8 new cases of COVID-19
Henry said there are heightened concerns about the possible community transmission from the U.S., especially amid another case involving a woman from Seattle who was visiting family in B.C.’s Lower Mainland.
Health officials in B.C. and Washington state are also working to determine the woman’s contacts and movements, Henry said.
“Clearly, that is of concern with us and we are working with our neighbours to the south in Washington state to try and determine where her exposure might have been,” she said.
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.
All orders are protected by SSL encryption – the highest industry standard for online security from trusted vendors.
Bizarre Sunlight Loophole Melts Belly Fat Fast! is backed with a 60 Day No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee. If within the first 60 days of receipt you are not satisfied with Wake Up Lean™, you can request a refund by sending an email to the address given inside the product and we will immediately refund your entire purchase price, with no questions asked.
