Coronavirus: federal risk remains low in Canada

OTTAWA | Federal Minister of Health Patty Hajdu says risk of spreading coronavirus in Canada remains low even though the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international emergency.

“The risk remains low, particularly because travel to places of infection in China is becoming more difficult and because we have a very sophisticated system in Canada, which the WHO has recognized as being very reactive,” said the federal minister. Health Patty Hajdu, Thursday.

Canada already aligns with WHO recommendations, she said, and therefore does not have to apply additional preventive measures than those already in place at airports to check the health of passengers returning from China.

Nearly 200 Canadian nationals have reported to Ottawa that they wish to be repatriated to Canada.

An aircraft has been reserved to transport them, but details have yet to be confirmed. It is not known, for example, whether people should be isolated or quarantined.

“We are already isolating sick people and we will continue to do so if patients show symptoms, until we can rule out the possibility that they have coronavirus,” said Hajdu.

Asymptomatic people could also be quarantined, but the need for this preventive measure remains to be assessed.

“There is no clear scientific evidence to suggest that asymptomatic patients can transmit the infection,” said chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam.

The latter also decried the false information circulating about the severe acute respiratory syndrome family virus (SARS), as well as discriminatory comments towards people of Chinese origin or descent.

“Spreading disinformation, stigmatizing others or using racist rhetoric […] does nothing to help our collective effort to deal with this epidemic both here in Canada and internationally, “she said.

To date, three cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the country, two in Ontario and one in British Columbia. The patients were in stable condition late Thursday afternoon.

About 100 samples were tested at the Winnipeg microbiology laboratory and 58 were discarded.

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