WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19 IN OTTAWA

What should you do if you believe you have symptoms of novel coronavirus?

Call Ottawa Public Health at 613-580-6744 if you have recently returned to Ottawa after travelling outside of Canada and have symptoms such as fever, coughing and difficulty breathing.

COVID-19 can cause very mild to severe illness consisting of fever, and/or cough, other upper respiratory tract infection symptoms and difficulty breathing, including shortness of breath, says Ottawa Public Health.

It advises people to call public health or their health-care provider if their symptoms are mild. People are advised to call their health-care providers or clinic before visiting in person.

People with more severe symptoms should contact their health-care provider first, if available, or go directly to a hospital emergency department, paying attention to signs about COVID-19.

Anyone calling 911 should notify paramedics of their symptoms and travel history before they arrive.

Ottawa Public Health advises people who have recently travelled from areas with large COVID-19 outbreaks, including Hubei province, China and Iran, to contact them within 24 hours of arriving (at 613-580-6744), even if they have no symptoms and to stay at home and avoid close contact with others, including in their home, for 14 days.

All other travellers returning to Ottawa are advised to monitor their health for 14 days after returning and to call public health if they have any symptoms.

More information is available at: www.ottawapublichealth.ca