Medical knowledge | Infectology » Novel Coronavirus from Wuhan, China

Source: http://www.doksinet Dr. Rosana Salvaterra, MD, MSc, CCFP, FRCPC Medical Officer of Health www.peterboroughpublichealthca Novel Coronavirus from Wuhan, China Wednesday, January 22, 2020 A novel coronavirus has been identified in Wuhan, China. As of January 21, 2020, there have been over 300 confirmed human infections in China with several deaths reported. Outside of China, exported, confirmed cases have been reported in Japan Thailand South Korea and one case in the U.SA The onset of the earliest and most recent cases were December 12, 2019 and December 29, 2019, respectively. To date, there has been no reported cases in Canada Screening Active screening should take place to identify any patients that report fever, acute respiratory illness and/or pneumonia and travel within 14 days prior to the onset of illness to Wuhan, China. Notify the Medical Officer of Health (705-7431000) and the Ministry of Health (1-866-212-2272) immediately of a Person Under Investigation (PUI) that

meet the outlined criteria. Please enact all screening interventions such as entryway signage and telephone interview questions as per your office policies to identify any patients at risk. The following document may be reviewed to ensure your office is prepared: Baseline Requirements for Infectious Disease Threats in Ontario. It is available online at wwwhealthgovonca by entering the key word “resilient”. In addition to Routine Practices which are in place as part of core readiness during respiratory pathogen season, PUIs should be placed on Droplet/Contact Precautions in a single room and preferably with negative pressure. N95 Respirators should be worn for aerosol-generating procedures and during the collection of laboratory specimens. Testing Health Care Providers should refer to PHO Laboratory Wuhan Novel Coronavirus Test Information for information on recommended laboratory testing for PUIs (available at www.publichealthontarioca by searching for “Wuhan”) Testing for

Wuhan NCoV (also known as also known as 2019-nCoV) PUIs requires prior approval by the PHO Laboratory prior to submission and ideally after a physician has seen the patient. For approval, contact PHO Laboratorys Customer Service Centre at 416-235-6556/1-877-604-4567 or the After-Hours Emergency Duty Officer at 416-605-3113. Testing for Wuhan Novel CoV is performed at PHO Laboratory Toronto as needed daily Monday to Friday. Testing is available on weekends and holidays for hospitalized patients, or in extraordinary circumstances. NOTE: Turnaround time will vary according to geographical location and proximity to PHO Laboratory Toronto. What to do with patients awaiting for results Health Care Providers should work with public health staff to make arrangements for clinical and public health followup. Patients should be advised to isolate; this includes PUIs who are awaiting CoV test results If you plan to advise patient to visit the hospital, please contact hospital and paramedic

services (if applicable) in advance. If you have any further questions, please contact a Public Health Nurse in the Infectious Disease Program at 705-743-1000, ext. 131 Page 1 of 1 Peterborough Public Health is committed to providing information in a format that meets your needs. To request information in an alternate format, please call us at 705-743-1000