The risk is low, but the province’s Acting Chief Medical Officer of Health says the possibility that we may see coronavirus in Newfoundland and Labrador is not unexpected.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says the key is to ensure you understand the risks, pay attention to health travel advisories and practice good hygiene. That includes washing your hands frequently and staying home when you feel unwell.
Dr. Fitzgerald says the province is ready and has measures in place to detect people coming from high risk areas. They will follow any cases they may find through contact tracing to prevent its spread.
Research to-date shows COVID-19 is spread through droplets through coughs and sneezes, and is not airborne—meaning you have to be in close contact with an infected person in order to pick up the virus.
The best way to protect yourself? Good old-fashioned hand washing, says Dr. Fitzgerald.
Lather your hands well with soap, wash for 20 seconds and make sure you get the front and back of your hands and between your fingers. Then if you touch surfaces, wash your hands again before you touch your face or eat.
Province Linked with Winnipeg Lab: Haggie
Meanwhile, the province’s Health Minister says from a planning point of view, the province is integrated on a national and international level when it comes to coronavirus preparation.
John Haggie says they’re linked in with a National Microbiological Laboratory in Winnipeg, which he says is the gold standard. They’re also working with Ontario which has a more rapid spot test that they’ve agreed to use.
However, he says for the majority of people, the COVID-19 virus is a very mild illness.
He says there have been no deaths in young people or youth. The case fatality rate is 2 to 3 per cent according to data they have from China. He says if you look at distribution by age, it is the elderly who are the higher percentage.
