No confirmed cases in province
Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Health is warning the public that several rumours circulating about COVID -19 cases in the province are all false, and that there is currently no confirmed case of the virus in Saskatchewan.
These rumours included people saying that the virus had been confirmed in a patient at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon and at the Cosmopolitan Learning Centre in Regina.
“We’ve followed up on all those,” said Dr. Saqib Shahab, the province’s chief medical health officer. Shahab explained that there are seven different types of coronavirus, most of which are only common colds. If someone is ill and gets swabbed at their local clinic, the test result may come back positive for a coronavirus, but this does not mean they have COVID -19.
“All those concerns have been because the test report says coronavirus, but it’s not COVID-19,” he said. “(A) coronavirus-positive test result just means you have the common cold.”
Shahab said patients who may have COVID-19 have a nose swab taken. Those swabs are sent to the Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory in Regina, and it takes two to three days for the health-care provider to get the results.
Globally, 75 countries have reported cases of COVID-19. Canada has tested more than 1,000 people and has had 37 confirmed cases: 22 in Ontario, 13 in British Columbia and two in Quebec.
With fear of the virus growing, some people have been flocking to buy hand sanitizer, gloves and surgical masks. While Shahab said hand sanitizer is good for killing germs, it is no better than regular soap and water.
Likewise, masks and gloves are not helpful in preventing you from getting the virus, he said.
“If you’re wearing gloves and you touch a surface and then touch your eyes, your nose ... you’re still going to get exposed,” he said.
In fact, wearing a mask makes you more likely to pick up an illness because it causes you to touch your face more.
“If you’re wearing it all the time, you’re constantly fiddling with it, so actually you’re increasing your risk,” said Shahab.
For those thinking of travelling internationally — or even just to the United States — in the near future, Shahab recommended visiting a travel clinic before leaving to talk with a medical professional about the potential health risk in the specific area to which you are going.
While you may not need to cancel your trip, Shahab said there are certain factors that should be considered before catching your flight.
“Do you have underlying risk factors or underlying health conditions? What are the implications if you become ill there? ... Or if you come back and become ill, you might have to stay home in self-isolation. I think all those factors should be taken into account,” he said.