Manitoba

Sick woman at Winnipeg airport 'not a coronavirus case,' Premier Brian Pallister says

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Everything went according to plan when woman had health issue, Manitoba's top doctor says

Winnipeg paramedics dressed in protective clothing and wearing masks guide a stretcher carrying an ill woman from a WestJet flight from Vancouver to a waiting ambulance at Richardson International Airport in Winnipeg on Thursday. (Shannon VanRaes/Reuters)

The person who was taken from a WestJet flight at Winnipeg's airport and sent to hospital Thursday does not have coronavirus, Premier Brian Pallister said Friday morning.

"It's not a coronoavirus case," Premier Brian Pallister said in response to questions at a news conference.

The passenger was helped off the plane from Vancouver by paramedics and, with a mask on her face, wheeled in a stretcher to an ambulance that took her to a hospital, after she told crew she had a medical issue, airports authority spokesperson Tyler MacAfee said.

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It all went according to plan, said Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba's chief provincial public health officer.

As concerns about the COVID-19 coronavirus continue to grow, health officials are keeping a close eye on the situation and working closely with agencies like the Winnipeg Airports Authority, he said.

"We learned a lot from SARS and from pandemic influenza here, so a lot of our preparations have built upon those lessons [of the past]," Roussin said.

The passenger was helped off the plane by paramedics and, with a mask on her face, wheeled in a stretcher to an ambulance that took her to a hospital, an airports authority spokesperson said. (Shannon VanRaes/Reuters)

Provincial officials were at the airport two weeks ago "preparing for any type of scenarios," he said.

That included creating protocols to deal with patients who exhibit flu-like symptoms and identify anyone whose travel history includes countries impacted by the infectious disease now known as COVID-19.

"And once that is found out, a mask would be put on anyone with concerning symptoms," Roussin said. "So we have protocols in place and the steps were taken properly in this."

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The plane, which was scheduled to continue on to Toronto, was delayed for almost two hours. A WestJet representative said the aircraft was wiped down and sanitized.

MacAfee wouldn't discuss any specifics of the protocols that have been established "because they're evolving over time as new information is gathered."

A paramedic helps escort a passenger off a WestJet flight that landed in Winnipeg on Thursday afternoon. (Submitted by Theresa Marion)

However, he did say the airports authority has been meeting with many stakeholders — from the Canadian Border Services Agency to airline partners and health officials — "to make sure that we're doing the right things."

As for how everything worked out with Thursday's sick passenger, MacAfee said he's waiting for a full debrief.

"I'm not sure we kind of have a final decision on this, but I think what's important is that we we have a plan in place and we're continuing to work with that. It's going to continue to evolve over time."

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At this time there are no laboratory confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba.

So far, 38 people in Manitoba have been tested for COVID-19 but the results have all come back negative.