Canadian health authorities on Saturday said the country has its first “presumptive positive” case of the coronavirus, involving a man who was in the epicenter of the epidemic before landing in Toronto this past week.
Dr. David Williams, chief medical officer for Ontario, the country’s largest province, said officials are “95% sure” this involves a case of the coronavirus, which began infecting people in the city of Wuhan in December and has sickened over 1,300 and killed 41. Cases of coronavirus have spread beyond China, to two cases in the U.S., France, Australia and other countries in southeast Asia.
Tests need to be done at a Canadian microbiology laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, before the presumptive case is confirmed, Dr. Williams said.
The man, said to be in his 50s, arrived in Toronto via Guangzhou. Before that, he was in Wuhan. He landed in Toronto this past Wednesday, and was admitted to a Toronto hospital Thursday. Preliminary tests indicating he contracted coronavirus emerged earlier Saturday. Family and friends close to the man are now in self isolation pending further review, officials said.
The revelation comes a day after Dr. Williams told reporters that he was convinced Canada would record a case of the virus.
“Things are managed and well controlled, and as I hoped the system is operating as it should,” Dr. Williams said at a Saturday evening press conference. Officials in attendance said further investigation is under way to determine who else might have been exposed, and who is at risk.
Dr. Williams added: “I would be very surprised if this is our last case but we shall see.”
Since the spread of the coronavirus, Canadian authorities said they had posted signage for international travelers arriving in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal—the country’s three busiest airports—informing them to tell border officials if they are suffering from flulike symptoms. Border officials are asking additional health-screening questions, including previous travel to China.
Canadian Health Minister Patty Hajdu said Saturday that officials across the country were implementing measures to prevent the spread of infection. She added the risk of an outbreak of the virus in Canada remained low.
Canada had 44 people die in 2003 after the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, better known as SARS. Canadian health officials said they are well prepared to deal with the coronavirus epidemic based on their experience with SARS.
Write to Paul Vieira at paul.vieira@wsj.com
Write to Paul Vieira at paul.vieira@wsj.com
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Canadian Health Authorities Report ‘Presumptive’ Case of Coronavirus - Wall Street Journal
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