The medical officers of health for Ontario and Halton Region confirmed the first case of coronavirus, COVID-19, in Halton Region Wednesday.

A 32-year-old woman who returned from Hawaii on Saturday began experiencing symptoms on Monday. She was tested at Hamilton Health Sciences’ (HHS) Juravinski Hospital and it confirmed she had COVID-19.

The Burlington resident is a frontline healthcare worker at HHS. The Hamilton Spectator, citing an email it obtained from the hospital, said she is a doctor at the Juravinski Cancer Centre. The woman is currently at home in self-isolation.

It is the 37th confirmed case in Ontario.

“Halton Region Public Health is continuing to work with provincial and local health counterparts and with the resident to identify all known contacts who may have been potentially exposed to the virus to assess if there is a potential health risk,” said Dr. Hamidah Meghani, Medical Officer of Health. “The risk to Halton residents remains low.”

The email said the doctor came to work on Monday and saw patients in Clinic A. She began experiencing symptoms later in the day and went to the emergency department to be tested.

"Proper infection control measures were taken and PPE (personal protective equipment) was worn by staff and physicians who provided the care and testing," said the email from hospital CEO Rob McIsaac and chief operating officer Dr. Wes Stephen that was sent to all staff.

The hospital said it took all necessary precautions and followed all its standard operating procedures. Staff who were in direct contact with the doctor have been directed to go into self-isolation for 14 days. Patients who were in indirect contact have been asked to report any symptoms, such as coughing, fever or nausea, to the public health department.

"This incident was detected very quickly and all proper processes were followed,” said Dr. Stephen. “When she began to show symptoms, infection control protocol was swiftly initiated and she was tested in a safe environment. Out of an abundance of caution, last week, Hamilton Health Sciences expanded its criteria for testing beyond the standard case definition to include any travel outside Canada. As a result, this case was identified as quickly as possible.

Contact Halton Region Public Health by calling 311, 905-825-6000 or 1-866-442-5866 if you have a fever, or a cough or difficulty breathing and any of the following