B.C. health officials have announced seven new cases of the novel coronavirus, including two health-care workers at Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver, bringing the provincial total to 39.
Another two cases appear to have been contracted through community contact, according to Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
Henry said the two cases of community transmission are man in his 90s and a man in his 40s, both residents of the Fraser Health region who are currently in isolation at home. Henry said the sources of their infections are currently under investigation.
“It is these community cases that give us some degree of concern and grief,” Henry told a news conference in Vancouver.
“But being able to detect them is really important, because as soon as we detect them, we can start that detailed investigation to determine where they might have come in contact and it helps us uncover where other chains of transmission are in our community.”
Henry says the province is “actively hunting the potential source” of new community transmissions of COVID-19.
The remaining three new cases are travel-related. They are a woman in 60s who was on a tour in Egypt, a man in his 40s who returned from Germany and a man in 90s who was aboard Grand Princess cruise from Feb. 11 to Feb. 21.
Five of the new cases are in the Vancouver Coastal Health region and two are in the Fraser Health region. There are no new cases among the residents at the Lynn Valley Care Centre.
On Monday, Henry announced that the province had recorded its first COVID-19 related death: a man in his 80s with underlying health conditions. He was a resident of the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver.
It is believed to be the first death from novel coronavirus in Canada.
The first community transmission (no link to travel or a previously diagnosed COVID-19 case) in B.C. is a healthcare worker at the Lynn Valley Care Centre. She had been self-isolating at home but was admitted to hospital overnight. Henry said she is in stable condition.
The new cases announced Tuesday brings the total linked to the Lynn Valley Care Centre to eight, including two family members or close contacts of a health-care worker.
Henry also said Tuesday that a woman in her 80s who was a previously announced COVID-19 case in B.C. and was being treated in ICU at Vancouver General Hospital has been sent home.
On Vancouver Island, Glenlyon Norfolk School, a private school in Victoria, has closed early for spring break due to concerns a person who may have contracted COVID-19 had been in the school.
“It’s a decision that the school can make,” Henry said, adding that the province will evaluate school closures as the COVID-19 outbreak continues.
B.C. is now asking anyone returning from Italy to self-isolate for 14 days. The provincial government had already requested travellers from Iran and China do the same.
Dix and Henry once again emphasized it is important for people to stay home and stay away from large gatherings if they feel unwell.
Dix said resources are being added to the HealthLink 811 line and another call centre is being set up for general health questions, such as if an event planner wants to ask about a gathering.
As for cruise ship season in B.C., Henry says she thinks it ought to be delayed. She expects to hear more from Ottawa soon.
The Grand Princess is scheduled to dock at Ogeden Point in Victoria on April 3.
Dr. Bonnie Henry delivers B.C. COVID-19 update
Provincial health officials will deliver the latest information on COVID-19 at a news conference scheduled for 3:30 p.m. PT in Vancouver.
Posted by CBC Vancouver on Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Ontario has 36 confirmed COVID-19 cases, Alberta 14 and Quebec four with one presumptive case bringing the total number of cases in Canada to 87.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to announce federal funding to help provincial health care systems cope with the increasing numbers of Canadians infected with the new coronavirus and to help workers who are forced to self-isolate.
Government sources, not authorized to discuss the plans publicly, say Trudeau will hold a news conference Wednesday morning to announce the new measures.
More moves to respond to COVID-19 are expected in Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s coming budget.
The immediate objective is to try to contain the spread of the illness as much as possible and help people hurt financially by being forced into quarantine or self-isolation.
The sources say the federal government is ready to do more if the situation worsens.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to announce federal funding to help provincial health care systems cope with the increasing numbers of Canadians infected with the new coronavirus and to help workers who are forced to self-isolate.
Government sources, not authorized to discuss the plans publicly, say Trudeau will hold a news conference Wednesday morning to announce the new measures.
More moves to respond to COVID-19 are expected in Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s coming budget.
The immediate objective is to try to contain the spread of the illness as much as possible and help people hurt financially by being forced into quarantine or self-isolation.
The sources say the federal government is ready to do more if the situation worsens.
BCEGU urges employers to drop doctor’s note requirements to limit COVID-19 spread
Due to the concerns around COVID-19, the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGSEU)is asking for all B.C. employers to waive the requirement for employees to provide a note from a doctor to access their sick leave.
“We all must take appropriate steps to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, and B.C. workers need to do so without barriers or additional risk of infecting others,” Stephanie Smith, president of the BCGEU, said in a statement.
“Our provincial government has made the responsible decision to waive their employees’ need for doctor’s notes for COVID-19-related illness, and our union urges all employers in B.C. follow suit.”
Smith said many employers require their employees to produce a doctor’s note to get sick leave, creating a strain on the health care system and an increased risk of spreading COVID-19.
On Friday, the B.C. government notified public service employees they will not need a doctor’s note to begin receiving sick pay for COVID-19 related absences.
The BCGEU has also joined the BC Federation of Labour and the Canadian Labour Congress in their calls for enhanced sick leave protections and the elimination of the one-week Employment Insurance waiting period respectively.
The BCGEU has more than 80,000 members working in the province.
Washington State
In Washington state, at least 24 people have died among more than 267 who have tested positive for coronavirus in Washington state. Washington state has the most reported cases in the U.S.
Manitoba prepares to spend about $35 million on personal protective equipment
The Manitoba government is preparing to spend about $35 million on personal protective equipment as part of a federal procurement plan to deal with the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The procurement through the Public Health Agency of Canada will include items such as gloves, face masks and shields, thermometer covers and hand sanitizer for patients and health-care workers.
Health Minister Cameron Friesen says Manitoba is the first province to sign on.
Federal government offering guidance to event planners
Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault says the government is offering guidance to event planners about when they should consider shutting down large gatherings in light of a possible novel coronavirus outbreak.
Though there’s been only limited community transmission of the virus in Canada, concert promoters, major sports leagues and festivals say they are watching carefully to decide whether they should be bringing crowds of people together.
Guilbeault says the decision will ultimately be up to individual event planners, as well as provinces and territories.
He explained some jurisdictions may be better situated to handle mass gatherings than others, and it’s not up to the federal government to dictate which events should go ahead and which should be cancelled.
Natural Resources Minister self isolates at home
Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan says he’s isolating himself until he gets the results of a test for the virus that causes COVID-19.
On Twitter, the MP from Newfoundland and Labrador says he’s had a bad cold and a doctor recommended a test for the novel coronavirus as a precaution.
I've had a persistent head cold for a few days so, as a precaution, I saw a doctor.
They recommended a test for COVID-19. I'm not aware of contacting anyone infected, but was told to remain in self-isolation until we get the results.
Feel fine. But I'll work from home.
— Seamus O'Regan (@SeamusORegan) March 10, 2020
He says he’s not aware that he’s been in contact with anyone who has the illness but will work from home.
Air Canada suspends all flights to and from Italy
Air Canada is suspending flights to and from Italy, saying Italian regulations and “ongoing health and safety concerns” prompted the decision.
The airline’s last flight to Rome is scheduled to take off from Toronto today, with the final return flight departing Rome for Montreal on Wednesday.
Air Canada hopes to restart service May 1. Meanwhile, it says affected customers will be notified and offered a full refund.
In January, Canada’s largest airline halted all direct flights to China – the epicentre of the virus – as it braced for a hit to revenues. Its shares have fallen about 40 per cent in the past seven weeks.
Canada in contact with Italy
Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says he is in regular contact with his counterpart in Italy to try to learn from that country’s experience with the novel coronavirus.
Italy has gone into total lockdown, as officials restrict travel to 60 million people to limit the spread of the virus.
The country has confirmed more than 9,000 cases of COVID-19, and has reported more than 460 deaths.
With files from The Canadian Press
CHEK News
