Alberta health officials testing people for coronavirus out of 'excess of caution'

Health officials in Alberta say they've tested several people for the new coronavirus that's killed 26 people and made more than 800 people sick, mostly in China.

Alberta Health says there are no confirmed or suspected cases in Alberta, but that several people have been tested as a precaution.

The first confirmed North American case was found in Seattle earlier this week.

"At this stage we are acting out of an excess of caution even when the likelihood of exposure, based on history, is small or improbable," Alberta Health spokesperson Tom McMillan said in an email to CBC News.

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"We are closely monitoring the situation and will keep Albertans informed as it evolves."

The new coronavirus is from the same family of viruses as SARS, which killed 44 Canadians in 2003.

Craig Jenne, who teaches in the department of microbiology at the University of Calgary, says he's not surprised some Albertans have been tested for the new coronavirus.

"I think this is showing that our surveillance system is in place, all the moving parts are apparently working, we're looking for these patients and we're being excessively cautious," he said.

"So I really think this is good sign and will be a big step in trying to limit this from establishing itself as a community infection here in Alberta."

Health officials have been saying for days that Canada would likely see cases of the new coronavirus.

Federal Health minister PattyHajdu told reporters Thursday that six people are being monitored for the virus in Canada, and that one of them has been cleared.

"The risk still remains pretty low for Canadians in terms of acquiring this particular illness in Canada. The fact that there are cases that are under further examination is actually a good sign. It's a sign that our system is working," she said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the situation is being taken seriously.

"We're of course looking at any extra measures that need to be taken to keep Canadians safe and to prevent the spread of this virus," he said.

Keeping this new coronavirus out of the country is proving to be complicated because it has an incubation period of up to 14 days.

That means there could be up to two weeks between the time someone contracts the virus and starts to have symptoms.

Canada'schief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, says once a case is confirmed the most important steps are isolating that patient, tracing that person's contacts and watching those people as well.