2 presumptive cases of coronavirus confirmed in B.C., bringing total to 4

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control says two presumptive cases of coronavirus in the province have been confirmed, bringing the totalin the province to four.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, said Thursday that the twopatients are a man and woman in their 30s visiting from China's Hubei province.

Henry said the visitors are linked to a woman in her 50s who was diagnosed earlier this week in the Vancouver area.

She says officials are confident one of the newly diagnosed people is the source of the novel coronavirus in that household.

Henry said the man "very likely" infected the older woman. He displayed mild symptoms, so he did not seek medical attention.

Health officials say young, healthy people can have very mild symptoms that may manifest as a cold.

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a joint statement with Henrythat their knowledge of the coronavirus continues to grow as new information becomes available.

"Vancouver Coastal Health continues to investigate," Dix said."Their close contacts have been identified and continue to be followed by the health authority."

The two new cases follow two previous cases, both of which have been confirmed as coronavirus by theNational Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg.

The outbreak has infected more than 37,000people globally and killed more than 800, with the death toll now higher than the number of people who died of SARS in 2003.