Health officials 'confident' first case of coronavirus has been found in B.C.

LATEST:

• Man in his 40stests positive for coronavirus; now isolatedat home in Vancouver Coastal Health jurisdiction.
• 2nd test required to confirm positive result, but B.C. health officials 'confident' in diagnosis.
• Patient developed symptoms after flying back to Vancouver from China.
• Health-care officials say risk of spread 'remains low.'

Health officials are "confident" the firstcase of novel coronavirushas been found in B.C., though the province's senior official emphasized the province has been well-prepared and therisk to the general public remains low.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday a man in his 40stested positive for the virus late Monday. The man regularly travels to China for work, lives in the Vancouver Coastal Health region and is now recovering at home in isolation, Henry said.

The case is officially considered "presumptive" until Winnipeg's National Microbiology Lab confirms the results from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC). That process can take up to 48 hours, but Henry said officials on the West Coast are certain about the case, given the man's travel history and his symptoms.

"We are confident that this is truly a case of this novel coronavirus," Henry said during a news conference Tuesday morning.

Coronavirus, aflu-like virus, broke out in the central Chinese city of Wuhan last month. It has killed 106 people and infected more than 4,500others.

Got questions about the novel coronavirus?

CBCVancouver hosted a Q&A with Dr. Michael Curry, an emergency room doctor at Delta Hospital, and Steven Taylor, author ofThe Psychology of Pandemics: Preparing for the next global outbreak of infectious disease.

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5 years ago

Duration 28:21

Health officials are "confident" the first case of novel coronavirus has been found in B.C. We're separating fact from fiction on the new coronavirus. What do you want to know about it?

Health-care professionals in B.C. have said the risk to residents was low. A joint statement from the ministry of health and the BCCDCrepeated the reassurance Tuesday, sayingthe risk of spreadin B.C. "remains low at this time" despite the patient's positive result.

"All necessary precautions are being taken to prevent the spread of infection," the statement read.

Henry said the man was in the city of Wuhan on his most recent trip to China andarrived back in Vancouver last week. She said the manwas aware he could have the virus, given his travel, and isolated himselfas soon as he was home from the airport.

Symptoms arose more than 24 hours after his return.

"He did not go out because he was concerned," Henry said. "When he had his onset of symptoms, he called ahead and went to a clinic for assessment.

"He was very conscious about this," she added.

The statement said the man contacted health-care officials on Sunday. The BCCDCran its own diagnostic test, which wasdeveloped in wake of the outbreak. The testcame back positive late Monday night.

Henry said health-care officials are following up with the man "multiple times a day" to ensure he stays in isolation. He is "doing well" and will not require hospitalization. Members of his family have not shown any symptoms.

Watch Dr. Bonnie Henry explain details of thecase on Tuesday

B.C. 'confident' 1st case of coronavirus detected in province

5 years ago

Duration 1:49

A British Columbia provincial health officer believes a man in his 40s is the province's first case of coronavirus.

Vancouver Coastal Health serves more than one million people living in B.C.,including the residents of Vancouver, Richmond, the North Shore, the Sunshine Coast and Sea-to-Sky region. Officials declined to provide further detail on where the patient lives.

Earlier this month, the Public Health Agency of Canada introduced messaging on arrivals screens at Vancouver International Airportreminding travellers who had been to Wuhan to inform a border service officer if they were experiencingflu-like symptoms. An extra health screening question was also added to electronic immigration kiosks.

Henry said the B.C. patient would have passed screening, as he did not have symptoms at the time ofhis flight home.

Canada's first case of thiscoronavirus, known as2019-nCoV,was confirmed in Ontario this week. Henry said local health officials had been preparing for a positive test result for some time.

"This first case is not unexpected to us.... I would have been surprised if we did not have at least one ortwo cases," she told reporters Tuesday."We have been on high alert for a number of weeks now."

Henry said the threshold to be tested for coronavirus in B.C. is low. She said "a number" of people have been tested so far, but the man in his 40s is the first to test positive debunking a maelstrom of online speculationabout other rumoured diagnoses in the province.

"I think we need to take all those rumours with a grain of salt and recognize that they are just that: rumours," Henry said.

"I would also encourage people to go to credible sources of information to understand what is happening here in British Columbia. The source of truth we have here in British Columbiais the BCCDC site."

Coronavirusesare a family of viruses that typically cause mild cold-like symptoms. Some forms of the infection can lead to more severe illnesses, such as pneumonia, respiratory and kidney failure.

The majority of 2019-nCoVcases worldwide have been linked to people who have been in the city of Wuhan. Residents of B.C. who may have been exposed to coronavirus or experience any symptoms such as fever, coughing or difficulty breathing are asked to call their doctor, local health officeor 811.