Manitoba’s health department announced March 12 that the province has its first case of someone testing positive for the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
A woman in her 40s who lives in the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority area tested positive for COVID-19 and it is believed that she was exposed to the virus during a recent trip to the Philippines. She is isolated at home in stable condition.
The test is the first of 403 conducted in Manitoba as of March 11 to come back positive.
The province says people over 65 years old or those with underlying medical conditions or compromised immune systems are the most vulnerable to severe outcomes as a result of contracting COVID-19. Everyone is being advised to frequently wash their hands, cough and sneeze into their sleeves and to stay home when they feel sick.
Other strategies recommended to decrease the chance of being exposed to COVID-19 include avoiding close contact lasting more than 10 minutes with other people in public, avoiding handshakes and other greetings that involve touching, disinfecting frequently used surfaces and following public health advice to self-monitor and self-isolate if you have been travelling or in contact with someone with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19.
Schools and educational institutions are being advised to encourage any staff or students who feel sick to stay home, to reduce activities involving large groups of people, to increase the distance between students’ desks and to consider implementing virtual or online classrooms.
Employers should allow their workers to stay home when sick without the need for sick notes and to work from home if possible. Discontinuing non-essential work travel outside of Manitoba should be considered, as should the use of virtual meetings to reduce prolonged close contact between workers.
The province is having all respiratory specimens submitted to its labs tested for COVID-19, even if that testing was not requested by the health-care provider who submitted the specimen. Anyone returning from Italy, Iran or the Chinese province of Hubei should self-isolate for 14 days upon their return, while all international travellers should self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days after their return. Those who develop cold or flu-like symptoms within two weeks of returning should contact Health Links at 204-788-8200 or 1-888-315-9257 to determine if testing for COVID-19 might be necessary. If testing is not recommended, they should continue to self-isolate until they are well.
