Info for Canada:
How To Get Tested For Coronavirus In Canada, What The Symptoms Are, Where To Get Help
Quotes from article:
As the coronavirus known as COVID-19 spreads in Canada, the sheer volume of information and misinformation about it can make it difficult to know exactly what is going on, and what to if you think you or someone near you could have the virus.
So
Maclean’s has compiled information about the current situation in Canada, symptoms of COVID-19, who is most vulnerable to the virus, as well as self-isolation and notification details for each province and territory. We combed through the official coronavirus webpages of the federal, provincial and territorial governments, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO), which recently published a preliminary report on the outbreak in China. Sources are noted throughout this post.
British Columbia
Alberta
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
Ontario
Quebec
New Brunswick
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia
Newfoundland and Labrador
Northwest Territories
Yukon
Nunavut
Symptoms
Symptoms may take up to 14 days to appear after exposure to the virus while the average is 5-6 days after infection (
PHAC and
WHO)
According to a
World Health Organization report from the end of February on COVID-19 in China, symptoms in confirmed cases included:
- Fever (88%)
- Dry cough (68%)
- Fatigue (38%)
- Sputum production (33%)
- Shortness of breath (19%)
- Muscle or joint pain (15%)
- Sore throat (14%)
- Headache (14%)
- Chills (11%)
The
WHO report on COVID-19 in China found that:
- 80% of patients experienced mild to moderate effects (fever, cough, maybe pneumonia—but not needing supplemental oxygen)
- 14% suffered severe symptoms (requiring supplemental oxygen, including via a ventilator)
- 1% were critical (respiratory failure, septic shock and/or organ dysfunction/failure)
Who is most vulnerable?
As of March 11, the
Public Health Agency of Canada assessed the public health risk as LOW for the general population. But there is increased risk of more severe outcomes for those:
- Aged 65 and over
- With compromised immune systems
- With underlying medical conditions or chronic diseases including:
- diabetes
- cancer
- heart, renal or chronic lung disease (Ont.)
Those warnings follow the findings of that
February WHO report on COVID-19 in China. According to the research team, the age difference among those affected was stark: 21.9 per cent of those over 80 years died, while just 2.4 per cent of all reported cases were children aged 18 and under (only 0.2 percent of those became critically ill).
As well, while 1.4 percent of COVID-19 patients with no other underlying conditions died, those with other conditions experienced much higher death rates:
- cardiovascular disease (13.2%)
- diabetes (8.4%)
- hypertension (8.4%)
- chronic respiratory disease (8%)
- cancer (7.6%)
How have Canadians exposed to COVID-19 been affected?
As of March 12, there were 138 cases so far in Canada: B.C. (46), Alberta (19), Ontario (59), Quebec (13) and repatriated Canadians (1),
per the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC):
- One person has died of COVID-19
- 13% of ill individuals were hospitalized
- 67% were over the age of 40
- 80% were travellers and 12% were close contacts of those travellers
Federal government
Official site
here.