1st COVID-19 case confirmed in western Quebec, 2nd case in Prescott-Russell
CBC News | Posted: March 18, 2020 5:16 PM | Last Updated: March 18, 2020
Both confirmed patients are at home in self isolation
Along with one person testing positive in Ottawa, two additional cases of the coronavirus have been identified Wednesday near the city — one in western Quebec and one in eastern Ontario.
After testing hundreds of people for COVID-19, public health officials in the Outaouais have confirmed the region has its first positive case.
Quebec's health ministry added the case to its provincewide list at about 1 p.m. Wednesday.
Radio-Canada confirmed the patient tested positive at the Hull Hospital emergency department.
The person recently travelled outside the country, said the Centre intégré de santé et des services sociaux de l'Outaouais (CISSSO). The regional health authority is now tracing the person's movements to determine whether anyone else may have been infected.
All people who had contacted with the infected person will be telephoned, the health authority said. Meanwhile, the infected person is in self-isolation at home.
The Outaouais health authority has carried out 281 test for COVID-19 since testing began in the area March 6.
WATCH: Quebec's premier reassures public Wednesday
Citing privacy concerns, CISSSO did not provide many details on the positive case, but said the individual has been following appropriate protocols.
2nd case in Prescott-Russell
In eastern Ontario, a man in his 60s is the second person from Prescott-Russell, Ont., to have tested positive for COVID-19.
Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, medical officer of health for the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU), said Wednesday evening the new coronavirus case was confirmed Tuesday.
The man is in self-isolation at home with mild symptoms that include a fever, cough, headache and generalized aches and pains, the health unit said.
The man had recently returned from a trip to the United Kingdom.
There is no evidence of community spread, Roumeliotis said, and the EOHU is tracing the man's steps to find anyone who may have come into close contact with him.
On the weekend, the health authority confirmed a woman in her 30s from the area tested positive at the Glengarry Memorial Hospital in Alexandria, Ont., after a trip to New York City.
"Having another confirmed case in our area is not unexpected given the transmission of this virus around the world," Roumeliotis said.
Anyone returning to Canada from foreign travel is now being asked to go into self-isolation for two weeks and to monitor themselves for symptoms.
In Ontario, 208 people have active cases of COVID-19. The number of confirmed cases in Quebec is now 94.