As local transportation authorities ramp up cleaning procedures and people across the country and the world stock up on supplies in a panic over the 2019 novel coronavirus, the number of positive diagnoses continues to rise, including in Toronto.
Four new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Ontario over the course of March 5 — two of them in Toronto — bringing the provincial tally to 24 (four of whom have recovered). There are 72 additional patients currently under investigation.
The latest case, announced late in the evening, involves an individual who recently returned to the area from a trip to Las Vegas. They were assessed at the emergency department of Toronto Western Hospital sometime on March 4 and sent home to self-isolate.
Someone in Toronto now has the Coronavirus after coming back from Las Vegas? You guys remember that Casino scene in the movie Contagion... pic.twitter.com/N8SCd6Ac0D
— Sean (@SmSmith94) March 6, 2020
As of yesterday, the Southern Nevada Heath District had only confirmed one case of the virus — a surprisingly low number given the fact that Las Vegas is by nature a hub for tourists from around the world and a big spot for the exchange of cash, the handling of which some worry could help spread the virus.
All four new cases confirmed in Ontario yesterday are in people who have recently travelled: one to Vegas (now in Toronto), one to Iran (now in Toronto), one to Italy (now in the Waterloo region) and one from the Diamond Princess cruise ship (now in Mississauga), which was famously quarantined off the coast of Japan due to a coronavirus outbreak on board.
Iran and Italy have recently become the location of large-scale outbreaks of COVID-19 — the former is approaching 5,000 confirmed cases, and the latter, nearing 4,000 — and the Canadian government has advised against non-essential travel to both, among other nations.
And as for the cruise ship, 47 Canadians on board were confirmed to have the virus and are currently being treated overseas, while the remaining 200 or so were cleared and returned home.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has updated its list of travel health notices for #COVID19 which includes 7 countries, China, Iran, Hong Kong, Northern Italy, South Korea, Japan and Singapore.
— Dr. Rana, Neurologist (@DrRana_Centrist) March 6, 2020
Within Canada, there have been 49 confirmed or presumptive positive cases thus far, with 24 in Ontario, 21 in B.C., three in Quebec (one a presumptive positive case) and one in Alberta (a presumptive positive case) at the time of publication.
Most have shown mild enough symptoms that they do not require hospitalization and have been sent home to recover in isolation. The federal government just appointed a special cabinet committee to help monitor the coronavirus situation this week, and Ontario is looking at setting up standalone testing centres so those sick with the illness are not exposed to others in hospital.
The economy in Canada is officially taking a hit from coronavirus https://t.co/UBiyW9ZM4i #Canada #cdnpoli #Coronavirus
— Freshdaily (@freshdaily) March 5, 2020
Globally, the number of cases has risen to more than 100,000 in at least 84 countries, with approximately 3,400 deaths thus far — 80 per cent of those cases and nearly 90 per cent of those fatalities in mainland China.
Slightly more than half of those who were diagnosed have since recovered, with the mortality rate hovering around 3.4 per cent overall, though this number changes drastically depending on where a patient is located in the world.
Chinese scientists are speculating that there may be two strains of the virus currently spreading, one of them more aggressive than the other.
by Becky Robertson via blogTO
No comments:
Post a Comment