The first case of the novel coronavirus has been confirmed in Metro Vancouver by the BC Centre for Disease Control.
The case involves a man in his 40s living within the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority region, which includes Vancouver, the North Shore, Richmond, and the Sea to Sky corridor as far as Bella Coola. A businessman, he regularly travelled to and from China and recently returned from the country on a trip that included at least some time in Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry described the case as "presumptive," confirmed by a BCCDC lab in the evening of Jan. 27.
The sample is now headed to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg for further confirmation -- expected within 48 hours -- although Henry said she is confident it is a positive case after it mapped and matched part of the disease's genome to the novel coronavirus.
The man, who was not symptomatic on the flight home last week, voluntarily quarantined himself in his home to see if he would come down with the disease. When he started exhibiting symptoms a few days later, he immediately sought medical attention, Henry told reporters at a press conference Tuesday.
The provincial health officer said that the infected man has only come into contact with his family while symptomatic. Since the contagious period lasts while the patient shows symptoms of the coronavirus, Henry said there is no risk to the public.
The man is now said to be doing well and remains in quarantine at his home while medical authorities monitor him and his family members.
"This first case is not unexpected to us," said Henry. "We have been on high alert for a number of weeks now."
She added: "It just confirms that our surveillance is working."
China has confirmed more than 4,500 cases of the novel coronavirus, leading to at least 106 deaths and the astonishing lockdown of more than 50 million people to prevent the spread of the disease. Nearly 60 cases have been confirmed in at least 10 other countries, including the United States, Thailand, South Korea, Japan and France.
Vancouver International Airport has joined several others across North America in implementing medical screening protocols on flights from China. So far, those screening procedures have not turned up any positive cases of the coronavirus, said Henry.
Beyond testing for symptoms of the disease, health officials have been providing information to travellers from China without symptoms. This case, Henry said, proves that people are listening to that advice: following instructions to self-quarantine and seek medical care should they exhibit flu-like symptoms after visiting China's expanding area of quarantine.
Some of the strategies to deal with home isolation include avoiding sharing of utensils and toothbrushes, washing hands regularly and wearing protective masks when family members have to be in the same room as an infected patient.
Masks are particularly useful in preventing the spread of coronavirus when worn by those infected and by medical personnel who get close to patients' faces while providing care. Coronavirus spreads through relatively large droplets in a person's breath and wearing a mask keeps them from dispersing in the air when a patient coughs.
On the other hand, if you are not infected with the coronavirus, wearing a mask may not be effective and can give you a false sense of security, said Henry.
The virus can also be transmitted through direct contact between people or surfaces like tables, door handles or computer keyboards. But to infect someone, coronavirus needs to pass through the mouth, eyes or nose and be breathed into the lungs -- that's why washing your hands and avoiding touching your face are two key measures to prevent infection.
"If you're touching something and it has droplets on it with virus in it, as long as you clean your hands before you touch your face or your mouth, you're not going to be at risk of getting that virus in your body," said Henry. "It's not something that comes through the skin."
As the number of infected and dead continue to climb in China, it's not clear how much of the spike in positive coronavirus cases is the result of greater surveillance or growing rate of infection.
"This situation is evolving very rapidly," said Henry. "Right now we're in a very critical part of the incubation period."
The maximum incubation period for most coronavirus is about 14 days but people usually start to become ill between four to six days, Henry said.
"Now we're in that period here in Canada and other countries around the world where we need to be very vigilant. There are people who have travelled who are here, who might be incubating this virus, who might be becoming sick in the next couple of weeks," she said.
"And that's why it's so critical that we maintain our focus on being able to safely assess, test and care for people if need be."
