Ottawa health officials ready for COVID-19 cases of unknown origin

As British Columbia deals with its first case of coronavirus with an unknown origin, health officials in Ottawa say they're ready if that were to happen here.

So far there are no cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa, but health officials have been stepping up their preparations regardless.

The trigger for more enhanced protocols would be the presence of a case with no direct link to travel or known contact with other coronavirus patients, according to Ottawa Public Health (OPH).

That most likely would mean the person caught the virus from someone in the community. 

OPH is already testing people who present with respiratory issues for coronavirus, even if they haven't travelled, said Dr. Vera Etches, the city's medical officer of health.

They're also keeping an eye out for those community cases, Etches said — and if one is found, there would be certain changes.

"That would lead us to potentially more messaging to the public about what they might want to do to distance themselves from people who are ill," Etches said.

Hospitals access controlled

At the Ottawa Hospital, there would be changes too, including controlled access. 

"People would undergo the febrile respiratory infection screening that we have for patients, to make sure that — if we have somebody coming to hospital as a visitor who's unwell — then we can ... identify that person," said Dr. Andrew Willmore, the hospital's medical director of emergency management.

"[We would] sort of deflect them to a more appropriate place, or not let them come into hospital. And we would be doing that for staff as well. "

If COVID-19 were to start to spread in the community, it could mean more cases — but the hospital said it's prepared for that, too. 

"When we see the first patient in Ottawa we will certainly just continue with our regular activity, as we have already planned for managing coronavirus patients," said Dr. Kathryn Suh, associate director of the infection prevention and control program at the hospital

"But when there is transmission in the community without an obvious source ... that, to us, would be a sign that we need to really ensure that we're ramping up our preparations to be able to accommodate more patients."