Health officials said the second case was confirmed late Monday and that the individual is a woman in her 50s.
A second case of coronavirus has been reported in the Metro Vancouver area.
Health officials said the second case is presumptive and was reported Monday in a woman in her 50s who is hosting family visiting from the Wuhan, China area.
“She became ill a few days ago and was assessed in hospital and the testing came back positive,” said Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
Tests have now been sent to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg for further confirmation.
Henry said the woman is now in quarantine at home and that health authorities are following up with the woman’s household to test for the virus. While it has not been confirmed whether the woman’s relatives are infected, Henry said transmission is assumed in the household.
“Vancouver Coastal is doing the detailed investigations today and will be testing and will also be making sure that they trace back any movement that these people had and make sure we’re in contact with everybody that may have had close contact,” she said.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry confirms a second case of coronavirus in B.C., during a press conference in Vancouver, Tuesday, February 4, 2020.
Jason Payne /
PNG
With the epicentre of coronavirus located in Wuhan, Henry encouraged anyone who has recently spent time in the Chinese province to self-quarantine until the incubation period has ended.
“If you are somebody who has been in Hubei province within the last two weeks, it’s really important right now that you take these measure to keep away from others, consider staying home, and keeping your children home,” said Henry, adding that children need monitoring as they may not recognize the symptoms themselves.
The second case was announced Tuesday during a regularly scheduled briefing with Vancouver Coastal Health authorities.
At least 427 people have died and there were more than 20,000 confirmed cases around the world as of Tuesday.
Officials say 425 people died in mainland China, while there has been one death in Hong Kong, and one in the Philippines.
B.C.’s first confirmed case, in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, is a man in his 40s who travelled to Wuhan, the centre of the disease. He is said to be recovering at home.
More to come…
