There are no cases of the potentially deadly new coronavirus from China in Ontario yet, but doctors are now required to report any suspected or confirmed cases when the bug arrives, Health Minister Christine Elliott says.

Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet made the decision Wednesday as worldwide concern about the virus ramped up, with the first North American case appearing in the Seattle area this week and several people in Ontario who have recently travelled to the central Chinese city of Wuhan already tested for symptoms.

Those throat and nasal swabs have come back negative but Elliott and Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, are urging anyone who has been to Wuhan and has a cold, fever, flu, respiratory symptoms or shortness of breath to be checked by a doctor immediately.

“We need to be very vigilant,” Elliott told a news conference.

To date, the virus that can cause pneumonia has infected about 440 people, all of whom had been in China, and killed nine, the Associated Press reports. There are also cases in Thailand, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

“While the risks posed by this new coronavirus to Ontarians remain low, the province is actively monitoring and is fully prepared to respond,” Elliott said, noting protocols and procedures are in place throughout the health care system thanks to the SARS outbreak that killed almost 800 people worldwide in 2003.

“Now, physicians, hospitals and other care facilities will be required to report a suspected or confirmed case of the new coronavirus to their local medical officer of health.”

When that happens, local health units will investigate the patient’s situation, tracking their travels and person-to-person contacts to determine who else needs screening in an effort to control further spread of the virus.

“This is something that can grow very quickly,” Elliott warned. “People may be carrying the virus but don’t have any symptoms for several weeks after their return home.”

Given that the virus is new to humans, Williams said its level of contagiousness and other factors remain a mystery, although genetic sequencing has already been provided by the Chinese, giving health officials around the world a head start in identifying cases — something that did not happen in the early days of SARS.

A quick version of the swab tests take six hours to produce preliminary results once it gets to the lab and a full test yields results in 24 hours, with experts hoping to develop quicker markers in the coming weeks, said deputy chief medical officer of health Dr. Barbara Yaffe.

Some of the tests performed so far on a “small number” of patients who have come forward showed they had the influenza A virus, not the coronavirus.

Any cases that are confirmed in the coming days and weeks would be put in isolation rooms in hospitals with doctors and nurses treating them in protective gear, said Yaffe.

Elliott insisted that overcrowding problems at many Ontario hospitals, where patients are treated in hallways virtually every day, will not impact care for coronavirus patients who will have to be kept separate.

“Facilities can be made available. Hospitals understand what they need to do in order to be ready for that.”

Between 1,500 and 4,000 people arrive at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport from Chinese destinations every day, but there are no direct flights here from Wuhan, Williams said, adding the standard flu shot does not provide protection from the coronavirus.

Extra screening of incoming passengers is now in effect at Canadian airports receiving flights from China.

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The Seattle-area coronavirus patient, a man in his 30s, returned from Wuhan on Jan. 15 but had no symptoms, which developed over the following days. He sought medical care Sunday and informed doctors of his travel. He has a mild case of pneumonia and is doing well, Associated Press reported.

A decision by the World Health Organization on whether to declare an international public health emergency over the virus was postponed Wednesday, with officials saying they need more information and promising an update on the situation Thursday.

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