Toronto – Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer confirmed in a statement on Monday that a second individual in the Canadian province tested positive for being infected with the novel coronavirus.
“Today, Dr David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health, confirmed that the wife of the province’s first case of Wuhan novel coronavirus has tested positive for the virus at Ontario’s public health laboratory,’’ he said.
Williams emphasised the risk posed to the greater public is minimal given that the patient has been in self-isolation.
On Saturday, Canadian Health Minister Patty Hajdu, announced that the first confirmed case of novel coronavirus was identified in Toronto.
Health Canada said the infected man had traveled to Wuhan, China, 14 days before coming down with the illness.
Ontario is currently investigating 19 cases of which two have been confirmed as having tested positive for the coronavirus.
Earlier, Quebec’s Public Health Director, Dr Horacio Arruda, said that Canadian province is investigating five suspected cases of the novel coronavirus.
Quebec later confirmed that each of the five individuals tested negative for the coronavirus.
On Monday, Dingxiangyuan, a Chinese internet service that specialises in medical information, reported that the number of people infected with the deadly new strain of the coronavirus has risen to 2,840.
According to media reports, out of China, 80 people have died from health complications associated with the novel coronavirus infection.
Confirmed cases have also been recorded in the United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Saudi Arabia.
(Sputnik/NAN)
