Month: February 2020

Note: This article is a follow-up to two previous articles (this one and this one) about the presence of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the Vancouver area, as well as recommendations from the Federal Chief Medical Officer about preparing for an “outbreak” or “pandemic”.

Yesterday, Monday February 24, 2020, Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said a 7th case of COVID-19 has been identified in BC [1] and that this patient is a man in his 40s who is a close contact of B.C.’s 6th case, a woman in her 30s who recently returned from Iran [2,3]. Apparently, the man had symptoms prior to the woman being diagnosed. The Globe and Mail reports that the Provincial Health Authority has been working with the Fraser Health Authority to try to identify anyone who may have been in touch with the two latest cases. This would include the fact that Fraser Health Authority sent a letter to all school districts in its region this past Friday, which includes Burnaby, New Westminster, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and the Tri-Cities — warning them that contacts of the woman with coronavirus ”may have attended schools in the region and are currently isolated” [4].

The 6th case (and perhaps the 7th case too, as the woman was reported to have a travelling companion) also flew from Montreal to Vancouver on Valentine’s Day, February 14th [5,6]. On February 23, 2020, the BC Provincial Health Authority (PHSA) had advised Air Canada that it planned to contact all passengers who flew out of Montreal that day and who were seated within three rows of the woman so that they can monitor their health for a 14-day period and report any symptoms to a health professional [5,6].

In a dramatic shift from earlier indications that the risks in Canada are “low”, this morning’s Ottawa Citizen newspaper reported that Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Theresa Tam acknowledged yesterday (Monday, February 24, 2020) that “Canada may no longer be able to contain and limit the virus if it continues to spread around the world” and that she said “governments, businesses and individuals should prepare for an outbreak or pandemic” [7]. Yes, the “pandemic” word has now been uttered.

The Globe and Mail also reported that Dr. Tam said yesterday, ”The window of opportunity for containment — for stopping the global spread of the virus — is closing”, and ”…that we have to prepare across governments, across communities and as families and individuals, in the event of more widespread transmission in our community” [8].

Further thoughts…

In addition to the original COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China, a growing outbreak of COVID-19 in Iran and South Korea is of particular concern, especially in the Greater Vancouver area which has thriving Chinese, Iranian and South Koreans communities.

With regards to the possibility of others having arrived from Iran with coronovirus prior to it being identified there, Dr. David Fisman, professor of epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto said in the Globe and Mail report, ”I think it’s highly unlikely that that’s the only individual from a country without [declared] coronavirus disease who has come into Canada [8]”. I think it is likewise reasonable to assume that it is highly unlikely that no one arrived from South Korea before the first cases were identified there, as well.

Practical advice (outside of preparing to have sufficient non-perishable food on hand in case there is a need to self-isolate at home for 14 – 28 days) is to avoid the easiest means of transmission, which is touching someone or something that is contaminated with the virus, and then touching one’s eyes, nose or mouth. Use of alcohol gel is an alternative, when soap and water and a good hand wash for 20 seconds is not possible. Since transmission of COVID-19 can occur from an infected person to others within ~2 meters / 6.5 feet (even if the infected person has no symptoms), avoiding crowded public places such as restaurants, food courts, cashier line-ups and waiting rooms would be prudent. 

With no vaccine against this novel coronavirus or medicine available to treat it, practicing ‘social distancing’ is good advice; which is limiting one’s exposure to places where groups of people gather, decreasing opportunity for the virus to spread. This is where Distance Consultations can help. These have always been very popular with those on the other side of the city and across the country, but with seven local COVID-19 cases, people in the immediate vicinity are glad to have this option especially given me having a decade of experience providing them. You can find out more about Distance Consultations by clicking on the tab above.

More Info?

If you would like more information about the services that I provide, please have a look under the Services tab or in the Shop. If you have service-related questions, please feel free to send me a note using the Contact Me form above, and I will reply as soon as I can.

To your good health!

Joy

You can follow me on:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoyKiddie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BetterByDesignNutrition/

Copyright ©2020 BetterByDesign Nutrition Ltd.

LEGAL NOTICE: The contents of this blog, including text, images and cited statistics as well as all other material contained here (the ”content”) are for information purposes only.  The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, medical diagnosis and/or treatment and is not suitable for self-administration without the knowledge of your physician and regular monitoring by your physician. Do not disregard medical advice and always consult your physician with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or before implementing anything  you have read or heard in our content.

References

References

1. The Globe and Mail, Andrea Woo, Feb. 24, 2020, B.C. identifies seventh case of coronavirus, https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-bc-identifies-seventh-case-of-coronavirus/
2. Montreal Gazette, Susan Schwartz, February 23, 2020, Passenger from Iran on flight from Montreal to Vancouver tests positive for new coronavirus, https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/passenger-from-iran-on-flight-from-montreal-to-vancouver-tests-positive-for-new-coronavirus
3. CBC, B.C.’s 6th presumptive COVID-19 case flew from Montreal to Vancouver on Feb. 14, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-coronavirus-flight-montreal-vancouver-1.5473283
4. Global News, Sean Boynton, Passenger on Air Canada flight to Vancouver is not a new case of COVID-19: B.C. officials, Feb 23 2020 2:11 pm, updated 5:18 pm), https://globalnews.ca/news/6586274/covid19-air-canada-vancouver-montreal/
5. Montreal Gazette, Susan Schwartz, February 23, 2020, Passenger from Iran on flight from Montreal to Vancouver tests positive for new coronavirus, https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/passenger-from-iran-on-flight-from-montreal-to-vancouver-tests-positive-for-new-coronavirus
6. CBC, B.C.’s 6th presumptive COVID-19 case flew from Montreal to Vancouver on Feb. 14, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-coronavirus-flight-montreal-vancouver-1.5473283
7. Ottawa Citizen, Elizabeth Payne, Canadians being told to prepare for a possible novel coronavirus pandemic, https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/canadians-being-told-to-prepare-for-a-possible-novel-coronavirus-pandemic
8. The Globe and Mail, Kelly Grant, February 24, 2020, Canada steps up screening efforts as coronavirus inches toward a pandemic, https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canada-steps-up-screening-efforts-as-coronavirus-inches-toward-a

Note: This article is a follow-up to an earlier article about COVID-19 coronavirus in the Vancouver area that was posted on February 6th, 2020. Please note this article was updated twice on February 23rd, with the updates posted below.

Provincial health officer Bonnie Henry announced Thursday, February 20th that a woman in her 30s who just returned from Iran this week is British Columbia’s sixth case of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus.  The woman was assessed at a hospital and is now in self-isolation at home in the Fraser Health region. Health officials won’t say which area she is in, but only that the Fraser Health region spans from Burnaby to Hope[1].

Note: The north shore (North Vancouver) is well known for its vibrant Iranian community, but so is Coquitlam, which is part of the Fraser Health region.

Health officials are now investigating details of the woman’s travel and working to determine whether other passengers on her flight home will need to be notified and tested.

This case is unusual in that the travel was to Iran, and not China or Singapore. Dr. Henry said that this is what is called a “sentinel event”, which is “a marker that something may be going on broader than what we expect[1].”

Earlier this week, on February 16th two Canadians returned to British Columbia from having been on the Westerdam cruise, and were asked by officials to put on protective face masks at Vancouver International Airport as an American woman who was on the cruise with them has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronovirus, and both she and her husband have been hospitalized with pneumonia [2,3]. The Global News headline for the story read “COVID-19 fears spike after woman let off cruise ship in Cambodia tests positive“.  The story’s opening paragraph reads, “The feel-good story of how Cambodia allowed a cruise ship to dock after it was turned away elsewhere in Asia for fear of spreading the deadly virus that began in China has taken an unfortunate turn after a passenger released from the ship tested positive for the virus [3].”

A week ago, a 5th case of COVID-19 had been identified in British Columbia in a woman in her 30s who travelled to the Shanghai area of China. “She was not in Hubei province and was not in an area where travel was restricted,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s Chief Medical Health Officer. ”She came home from Shanghai through YVR (the Vancouver International Airport) and then travelled by private vehicle to her home in the interior,” said Henry. The woman was tested on February 11th, and the lab returned a positive result on Thursday February 13th [4]. Global News reported that they think that the woman’s symptoms started around her time of arrival. Henry said, ”We’re still working out the seating and looking at the flights“.  Global News also reported that “health officials are still working to contact everyone who sat within three rows of the woman to discuss what to do if they show symptoms”. Officials are not saying what flight the woman was on, or where she lives in the interior because “because they don’t want to unnecessarily alarm people“, Henry said [4].

It is also known that 5 million people left Wuhan before quarantine was set up in that city in preparation for the lunar New Year[5]. Where did they go? We know for sure that two people from Wuhan came to Vancouver during that time and that a woman in her 50s with whom they were staying contracted COVID-19 from them [6,7]. Since incubation period for the illness is believed to be up to 14 days and these individuals they were without symptoms while touring Vancouver sites, it is unknown how many individuals in the greater Vancouver area may have also been exposed to the coronavirus over the last few weeks by being in close contact with these three individuals. It is also unknown how many other people from the outbreak area may have come to Canada before the quarantine was in place. 

Some thoughts…

Medical officials are continuing to assure the public that the risks of getting COVID-19 are “low”, but “low” is a relative term.

Risk would certainly be “low” when compared to Wuhan where the coronavirus originated from (based on the sheer number of individuals infected there) and would also be “low” compared to those who were quarantined on the Diamond Princess off of the coast of Japan, but people in the Greater Vancouver area are very much on edge knowing that being within 2 meters (6.5 feet)  for any length of time of those who are contagious may put them at risk. Two meters is the distance between tables in  a restaurant, the distance between people in front and behind in a long line up at a checkout line, or at popular locations including the airport. Given that people can have no symptoms whatsoever and be contagious for 14 days has many people concerned.

In addition to a growing outbreak of COVID-19 in Iran, also of concern is the recent emergence of hundreds of cases of COVID-19 in Seoul, South Korea — as both of these countries have strong ties to local communities, and neither country is currently restricting travel.

Distance Consultations

Over the past decade that I have provided services via Distance Consultation, they had become increasingly popular with local-area clients as it saved them travelling booking time off work, or arranging childcare. As events related to coronavirus have unfolded, many local clients are glad to have the ability to consult with me remotely, especially given my experience in doing so. 

You can find out more about Distance Consultations by clicking on the tab above.

More Info?

If you would like more information about the services that I provide, please have a look under the Services tab or in the Shop. If you have service-related questions, please feel free to send me a note using the Contact Me form above, and I will reply as soon as I can.

To your good health!

Joy

You can follow me on:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoyKiddie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BetterByDesignNutrition/

Update: February 23, 2020: Several media outlets [8,9] are reporting that the woman that tested positive for the new coronavirus and had recently flown from Iran, also flew from Montreal to Vancouver on Valentine’s Day, February 14th. The BC Provincial Health Authority (PHSA) advised Air Canada that it plans to contact all passengers who flew out of Montreal that day and who were seated within three rows of the woman so that they can monitor their health for a 14-day period and report any symptoms to a health professional [8.9].

Global News reported later this afternoon that the Fraser Health Authority sent a letter to all school districts in its region on Friday, which includes Burnaby, New Westminster, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and the Tri-Cities — warning them that contacts of the woman with coronavirus ”may have attended schools in the region and are currently isolated.”  Fraser Health’s medical health officer Ingrid Tyler wrote in the letter that ”these contacts were not showing any signs or symptoms of illness while attending school, and remain well” and the health authority has assured that “there is no public health risk at schools in the region” and “no evidence that novel coronavirus is circulating in the community” [10].

Copyright ©2020 BetterByDesign Nutrition Ltd.

LEGAL NOTICE: The contents of this blog, including text, images and cited statistics as well as all other material contained here (the ”content”) are for information purposes only.  The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, medical diagnosis and/or treatment and is not suitable for self-administration without the knowledge of your physician and regular monitoring by your physician. Do not disregard medical advice and always consult your physician with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or before implementing anything  you have read or heard in our content.

References

1. Globe and Mail, Andrea Woo, B.C. hit with sixth case of coronavirus after woman returns from Iran, https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-bc-hit-with-sixth-case-of-coronavirus-after-woman-returns-from-iran/
2. CBC News, Austin Grabish, As Canadians return home from Westerdam cruise, health officials urge them to self-isolate, February 16, 2020 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/westerdam-cruise-canadians-return-home-1.5466131
3. Global News, Sopheng Cheang, Eileen Ng, Grant Peck (Associated Press), COVID-19 fears spike after woman let off cruise ship in Cambodia tests positive, February 17, 2020, https://globalnews.ca/news/6559821/cambodia-cruise-ship-coronavirus-positive/
4. GlobalNews, Stuart Little, B.C. identifies 5th presumptive case of COVID-19, woman who travelled near Shanghai, https://globalnews.ca/news/6552744/british-columbia-covid-19-update/
5. CTVNews, Erika Kinetz, Where did they go? Millions left Wuhan before quarantine. February 9, 2010, https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/where-did-they-go-millions-left-wuhan-before-quarantine-1
6. CityNews 1130, Paul James and Kathryn Tindale, Health officials track coronavirus in Metro Vancouver, risk remains low, posted Feb 5, 2020 11:31 am PST, last Updated Feb 5, 2020 at 11:32 am PST,  https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/02/05/virus-expert-tracking-infected/
7. National Post, Richard Warnica, Fifth suspected coronavirus case in Canada is B.C. woman who had ‘close contact’ with Wuhan visitors, Posted February 4, 2020 and 11:33 PM EST, https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/fifth-suspected-coronavirus-case-in-canada-is-b-c-woman-who-had-close-contact-with-wuhan-visitors
8. Montreal Gazette, Susan Schwartz, February 23, 2020, Passenger from Iran on flight from Montreal to Vancouver tests positive for new coronavirus, https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/passenger-from-iran-on-flight-from-montreal-to-vancouver-tests-positive-for-new-coronavirus
9. CBC, B.C.’s 6th presumptive COVID-19 case flew from Montreal to Vancouver on Feb. 14, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-coronavirus-flight-montreal-vancouver-1.5473283
10. Global News, Sean Boynton, Passenger on Air Canada flight to Vancouver is not a new case of COVID-19: B.C. officials, Feb 23 2020 2:11 pm, updated 5:18 pm), https://globalnews.ca/news/6586274/covid19-air-canada-vancouver-montreal/