Local blog ChrisD.ca, Global News, and CTV News have all reported this morning on the first presumptive case of COVID-19 in Winnipeg, which is Manitoba’s capital and biggest city. This presumptive test result needs to be confirmed by Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory, which is also located in Winnipeg. The National Microbiology Lab is among a few dozen in the world that can handle Level 4 pathogens, requiring the highest level of biosecurity.
CTV News reported:
The province has confirmed the first presumptive case of COVID-19 in Manitoba.
The case was confirmed at a news conference in Winnipeg Thursday morning with Health Minister Cameron Friesen and Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin.
Friesen said the patient is a woman in her 40s from the Winnipeg region who recently travelled to the Philippines. She is recovering at home and is in stable condition. She had been back in Canada for a few days before the positive test, and arrived at the hospital with a face mask.
The health minister added that two community screening centres will open in Winnipeg on Thursday to screen people for COVID-19.
Roussin recommended that Manitobans practice social distancing, avoid large crowds, minimize contact while in public and disinfect all surfaces.
“Fear and panic is not going to help us,” he said.
Roussin also recommended that businesses cancel all non-essential travel outside of Manitoba and that schools increase desk space between students.
Shared Health said COVID-19 testing is for symptomatic people only. Patients are encouraged to contact Health Links before going to any facility, and self-isolate while waiting for results. People without symptoms should not go to health centres and unless absolutely necessary.
The province was told about the presumptive case Thursday morning. It is tracing who the patient has been in contact with.
I won’t be reporting on any other coronavirus news today, but I just wanted to let people know that it’s here now, too. The waiting is over.
However, Winnipeggers are not without their signature sense of humour (we need it because of our long, cold winters). One Salisbury House restaurant in Winnipeg (a popular local chain well known for its “Nips” hamburgers and its claw machine games filled with stuffed animals) has set up the following claw machine:
So, if we do go into lockdown, at least I will be in good company! Winnipeg is well versed in dealing with emergencies such as blizzards; we will cope and we will adapt!
The following animated GIF is available here via Wikimedia (Creative Commons license CC-BY-SA), so please be sure to share it widely! It explains WHY we need to use social distancing, self-isolation, proper hand hygiene, and other tactics to “flatten the curve” of the coronavirus pandemic, in order to avoid overwhelming our healthcare system with a surge of COVID-19 patients who require hospitalization.
Once again, I am going to repeat the following information in an effort to reach as many people as I can who have not yet prepared for a pandemic:
How to Prepare for a Potential Pandemic
Here, once again, is an updated reminder of what you should be doing to prepare: mentally, emotionally, and physically/logistically.
You will probably need to prepare to stay isolated in your homes for a period of several weeks, avoiding contact with as many other people as possible, as a wave of illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus sweeps through your community, forcing schools, businesses, and public transportation and public gathering places like movie theatres and shopping malls to close (as we already seen in Wuhan and many other cities in China, as well as places such as South Korea, Iran, and Italy). The elderly (those over 60) and those with hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease (e.g. asthma), cancer, and those who have compromised immune systems (e.g. HIV+) are particularly at risk of a severe reaction to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
The time to prepare for the imposition of quarantines and social distancing policies by local governments is NOW.
If you need lists of how to prepare and what to buy in order to get your household ready for a potential pandemic, here are seven suggestions to help you get started:
AT LEAST two weeks of non-perishable food and other supplies (toilet paper, first aid supplies, soap and hand sanitizer, garbage bags, etc.). There are already reports of panic buying in many places around the world, including North America. You do not want to leave it to the last minute! If you cannot find any hand sanitizer, you can make your own (see the recipe below).
Refills of all your presecription medications, plus a stock of over-the-counter medicines (talk to your doctor and pharmacist about creating an emergency supply of your prescription medication).
Power sources (flashlights, extra batteries, car chargers and adapters for your mobile devices, etc.). The power probably won’t go out, but it’s better to be prepared than sorry. Water, power, and sewer services are unlikely to go out, but the internet may go down from time to time due to so many more people working from home.
Other things that you should do:
Please consider making a donation to your local food bank: the people who will be hardest hit by a coronavirus pandemic are the most vulnerable in our society: the poor, the homeless, people with addictions, women escaping abusive relationships, etc. These people don’t have the luxury of buying two weeks of food as you do, and by donating to food banks, you help support them as well.
Sign up for any local alerts from your city, state/province, or federal government (or know where to find the information on the Internet). Find out what plans your employer is making (and if they’re not making them now, they should be).
If you haven’t yet, get your seasonal flu shot. It can’t hurt, and it will help to figure out whether or not you do have SARS-CoV-2 if/when you do become sick. Many areas now give out the flu shot for free.
Train yourself NOT to touch your eyes, nose, and mouth! The SARS-CoV-2 virus can remain viable on hard surfaces anywhere from 2 hours to 9 days (scientific journal article source), and you can transfer the virus from your infected hands to your mouth, nose, and eyes by touching or rubbing them.
Watch the following videos from the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on how wash your hands properly! Yes, I know I have posted these videos numerous times before. You may think you already know how to wash your hands properly, but you still might learn something you didn’t know before. Proper hand hygiene will also help you avoid catching regular seasonal colds and influenza, so there’s a net benefit to society.
How to Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer
There have been reports of panic shopping in various countries around the world, including in North America. In particular, hand sanitizer is in short supply, with many stores being sold out of stock. Fortunately, if you cannot find sanitizer to buy, you can make your own. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients: 2/3-cup rubbing alcohol (99% isopropyl alcohol, not 70%) 1/3-cup aloe vera gel (GEL, not liquid)
Directions: Add the alcohol to the aloe vera gel and stir. Using a funnel, pour the mixture into a pump bottle; you can use cleaned soap bottles for instance, or you can find inexpensive pump bottles at dollar stores. If you have empty store-bought hand sanitizer bottles, you can use those.
If you wish, you can add 8-10 drops of essential oils. Lemongrass, eucalyptus, peppermint and orange oils, which have been shown to have some antibacterial properties (source), would be a good choice.
Good Sources of Information on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19
Here is my updated list of good, credible, authoritative resources to learn more about the Wuhan coronoavirus (formerly called 2019-nCoV and now officially called SARS-CoV-2; the disease the virus causes is now called COVID-19):
Another instructive YouTuber to watch is Dr. John Campbell, a British nurse educator who very clearly explains what you need to know
If you prefer to get your information via audio, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has started a weekly half-hour podcast on SoundCloud, called COVID-19: What’s Happening Now.
A brand-new, excellent podcast to follow is EPIDEMIC, with co-hosts Dr. Celine Gounder and Ronald Klain (the former United States Ebola response coordinator under President Barack Obama)
Watch the following video from the World Health Organization:
If you want a quick, up-to-date overview of the current situation, here are some good places to check:
Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases (by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University); sometimes this website goes down, so some other good statistics dashboards can be found here and here.
There are some benefits in living in a relatively isolated city like Winnipeg, Manitoba, my birthplace and my home town. (We’re an eight-hour drive north of the nearest big city, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it’s a full two days’ drive east to Toronto, or west to Edmonton or Calgary. Of course, there are small towns dotted all around the area, but it’s still one of the lesser-populated areas of North America.)
For example, I am over 700 miles away from the nearest outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 down in Madison, Wisconsin, as shown by this handy, constantly updated map of coronavirus outbreaks by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University:
Of course, that could change in an instant if somebody infected flies here. (Don’t come here! Winnipeg in March is cold and snowy and TERRIBLE!) 😉
I also wanted to share a new video by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, which answers some frequently-asked questions about handwashing, which is still the number one method to avoid catching the coronavirus. (There’s no sound in this YouTube video.)
I learned that the temperature of the water used does not matter; it can be hot or cold, as long as it is clean water. Also, it does not need to be antibacterial soap; any solid or liquid soap can be used. The important thing is to wash your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds. Here’s that video (AGAIN) I’ve been posting regularly from the World Health Organization:
I’ve pretty much got this technique memorized now, right down to using a paper towel to turn off the tap and open the bathroom door!
So remember: WASH YOUR HANDS. And train yourself not to touch your face!
