28th January, 2020
The wife of Canada’s first confirmed patient with the fast-spreading Wuhan coronavirus also has tested positive for it at an Ontario laboratory.
Public health officials also said on Monday that 19 other suspected cases are under investigation.
Canada’s second patient with the novel coronavirus is in her 50s and currently showing no symptoms, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health David Williams said at a news conference. She has been in self-isolation and is being monitored by health officials.
“Given the fact that she has been in self-isolation, the risk to Ontarians remains low,” said Williams in a release earlier in the day.
Her husband had been confirmed to have the virus by a national laboratory in Winnipeg, according to the release. He is currently stable at a hospital in Toronto.
The man had mild symptoms while on a flight to Toronto from Guangzhou, China, Canada’s chief health officer Theresa Tam told reporters on Sunday.
The couple arrived in Toronto on Jan. 22 after visiting Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak. There are no other members of their household, said Toronto medical officer Eileen de Villa.
Williams said the couple were wearing masks on their flight from Guangzhou and had taken their own transportation home from the airport.
“From what we know, Wuhan novel coronavirus transmits through close contact – and there’s no closer contact than a husband and wife,” said Ontario’s health minister Christine Elliott in a tweet.
The new coronavirus has infected more than 2,800 people in China, with 81 dead, and has spread to several countries.
The flu-like symptoms include fever, cough and breathing difficulty.