Here is a summary of the biggest news on novel coronavirus relevant to Vancouver Island and British Columbians:
John Horgan to announce BC’s response plan
An announcement from Premier John Horgan, Minister of Health Adrian Dix, and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is schedule for 11 am this morning in Vancouver. The focus of the meeting will be on the government’s full response plan to COVID-19. Dix has also revealed that every health authority in the province has set up an emergency operations center for potential cases.
British Columbia spikes in last 24 hours
The number of cases in BC took a big leap yesterday after Henry announced 8 new cases. Most notably, one of the cases seems to be the first in the country that was from community transmission. The woman infected has not recently traveled to a hot spot and has no close ties to someone who has contracted the disease. The province’s total cases now sits at 24 as of Friday morning, with four cases having fully recovered.
Cruise ship bound for Victoria gets quarantined
The Grand Princess cruise ship sits in limbo off the coast of San Francisco awaiting test results of its 3,500 passengers. Among those passengers are 235 Canadians who have been quarantined, along with the rest of the boat, as health officials try to determine if anyone on board has contracted the disease. The reason for the testing is due to a link with a recent death from the disease and the ship. The Grand Princess is scheduled to dock in Victoria at 7 am on April 3rd – the first ship to arrive for the 2020 cruise season.
Alberta announces first presumptive case
Alberta Health has announced the first presumptive case of novel coronavirus in their province. Officials say the woman presumed to now have it is in her 50s and it is believe she contracted COVID-19 while aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship. The case is located in the Calgary area.
Tim Hortons follows Starbucks – bans reusable mugs
Tim Hortons revealed on Friday that they would be temporarily banning reusable mugs at all their locations across the country trying to prevent the risk of COVID-19. This comes on the heels of Starbucks deploying the same technique.
Ontario sees first case contracted from USA
Ontario health officials reported a new case of COVID-19 Friday morning, which also posed another first for Canada. The person infected had just returned from a trip to Las Vegas, marking the first known case contracted from the USA. According to health officers, the man infected used transit in Toronto for several days before being tested for the virus. The number of cases of the novel coronavirus in Ontario has risen to 26, bringing the national total to above 50.
South of the Border: Staff member at Seattle Seahawks stadium tests positive
Seattle-area officials have announced an employee at the 72,000-seat CenturyLink Stadium in the city has tested positive for COVID-19. According to local reports, the staff member worked a Seattle Dragons XFL game on Feb. 22, which 22,060 people attended. The stadium, also home to the Seattle Sounders of the MLS and frequented by Vancouver Whitecaps fans, has said they will not be cancelling upcoming events. So far there have been over 70 confirmed cases in Washington state with a total of 11 deaths.
Coronavirus cases surpass 100,000 worldwide
As of Friday morning the number of cases across the globe has surpassed the 100,000 mark. The majority of the cases are in mainland China, followed by South Korea, Iran and Italy. The death toll has climbed above 3,300 however, Canada has yet to have someone die from the disease.
Graham Cox
