Public health officials in Hamilton say they’re having conversations with community partners to make sure they’re on top of the latest information about the new coronavirus.

Dr. Bart Harvey, Hamilton’s associate medical officer of health, says Hamilton Public Health is part of a provincial network of other health units that is also connected to Canada’s public health agency and the World Health Organization.

“Hamilton Public Health is really one node, in this instance, in an international network,” Harvey told Global News Radio 900 CHML’s Bill Kelly Show. “And we get to benefit from all of the knowledge, all of the insight, all of the surveillance, all of the data that’s been collected worldwide rather than being limited to what we have in Hamilton.”

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Currently, there is one confirmed case and one presumptive case of the new coronavirus in Toronto. One presumptive case of the illness has also been reported in B.C.

Harvey says the Toronto cases demonstrate how important it is to be prepared and have a plan in place.

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“When somebody presents that is potentially infected with the virus, we have all the right protective processes in place to essentially keep the virus with that person and, as much as we can, reduce — ideally, eliminate — the risk of them transmitting it to somebody else.”

A man in his 50s who recently returned from Wuhan, China, which is believed to be the epicentre of the outbreak, has been hospitalized in Toronto with Canada’s first case of the virus. His wife, who also travelled to Wuhan, is being tested for a second presumptive case. In B.C., a man in his 40s is also in isolation at home after recently travelling to Wuhan.

Harvey said Hamilton Public Health is working with local hospitals and emergency responders to share the most up-to-date data.

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Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) has acknowledged that it has extra precautions in place to detect any potential cases of the new coronavirus, which may lead to even more delays in the “already busy” system.

On its website, HHS says its hospitals are stocking up on protective gear and engaging in proactive screening, which includes asking patients about their symptoms, whether they have travelled to Wuhan, China or if they have been in contact with someone who has or is suspected of having the virus.

St. Joseph’s Healthcare says it is also engaging in those same screening procedures and is urging anyone with virus symptoms to avoid visiting one of its hospitals.

McMaster University, which recently issued a notice about false information circulating about the virus on its campus, says its Environmental and Occupational Health Support Services team is “continuing to monitor the situation and will follow any recommendations made by Canadian public health agencies.” Anyone with symptoms is urged to stay home or visit the Student Wellness Centre if those symptoms escalate.

An email sent to students and staff at Mohawk College says the school is actively monitoring the situation and urges both employees and students to “practise good hygiene” to reduce the risk of all illnesses, including the more common seasonal cold and influenza. The email also includes links to local flu shot clinics and resources, including the health centre at the college’s Fennell campus.

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