"If you look at the history of SARS there was a 10 per cent mortality rate and with this virus ... the mortality rate is much, much lower. It doesn’t appear to be transmitting as effectively as SARS."
- Todd Hatchette, microbiologist
It’s highly likely that the deadly Wuhan virus will reach Canada but so far Nova Scotia can't test for the SARS-like pathogen, said the province's head microbiologist.
Todd Hatchette, who is also a professor of medicine at Dalhousie University, said provinces including British Columbia and Ontario can properly test for the coronavirus that originated in Wuhan China and which has killed at least 17 people and sickened more than 400. It has spread to several other countries. A confirmed case in the U.S. was announced on Tuesday.
No cases have been found in Canada. Hatchette said any suspected cases in Nova Scotia would be tested at the national Public Health Agency lab in Winnipeg. The province’s public health agency said no specimens have been sent to the national lab.
Hatchette is in charge of the province’s central public health lab at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, which is co-ordinating testing for the virus.
Hatchette said the local lab is waiting on the proper reagents in order to conduct the testing here. He couldn’t say when that might happen.
“Across the country, labs are meeting regularly and at the forefront is an effort to try to develop testing protocols that can be disseminated to all the labs across the country,” Hatchette said.
Though he said the Wuhan virus shares the same genetic fingerprint as SARS, he pointed out that it appears to be less severe than the older virus that prompted a 2003 worldwide epidemic.
"If you look at the history of SARS there was a 10 per cent mortality rate and with this virus ... the mortality rate is much, much lower. It doesn’t appear to be transmitting as effectively as SARS."
A consequence of the epidemic is that the country and the province are more prepared to deal with the threat of a new and dangerous virus outbreak.
Screening at major airport destinations including Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver have been stepped up, said Hatchette. "They have increased screening border services. They are just reinforcing this and anyone who is coming from a Wuhan flight, in particular, are asked if they have any symptoms."
Two direct China-to-Halifax flights are scheduled for this fall. Hatchette said it’s too early to say whether those passengers could pose a safety risk to Nova Scotians. The province's public health agency agrees, said spokeswoman Heather Fairbairn.
"The Public Health Agency of Canada issues travel advice and advisories based on the most current information. At this point, there is no indication that travel to or from Nova Scotia would be impacted," Fairbairn said in an email.
Premier Stephen McNeil, who announced the direct flights in December, wouldn’t comment on what the virus outbreak would mean for the service but his spokesman sent an email to The Chronicle Herald saying that "the reports we’re seeing about this situation are worrisome and we’re monitoring developments."
Chinese state media are reporting that authorities in the city of Wuhan will suspend all public transportation beginning Thursday and that includes all flights and trains departing from the city.
There’s been an increase in Chinese visitors to the Nova Scotia, according to provincial data. In 2018, 5,000 Chinese tourists visited Nova Scotia and 3,500 Chinese students attend schools in Nova Scotia annually. The province’s target is to attract 50,000 Chinese visitors a year by 2024.
Hatchette said currently Nova Scotians are more at risk for influenza or the common cold than the Wuhan virus.
He said residents travelling to China need to follow the same precautions for any respiratory virus, avoiding open markets, cough into your sleeve, handwashing and avoiding people who are sick.
"This is a new virus that we’re still trying to figure out exactly all the factors that would put people at risk. At this point it’s low risk for Canadians. But the situation is evolving quickly and as things change we’ll have more information to know how well it’s transmitted from person to person," said Hatchette.
RELATED:
