Prepare for virus like an emergency, minister says

OTTAWA—Health Minister Patty Hajdu is encouraging Canadians to stockpile food and medication in their homes in case they or a loved one falls ill with the novel coronavirus.

That’s good advice for any potential crisis from a viral outbreak to power outages, she said Wednesday.

“It’s good to be prepared because things can change quickly,” she said.

She also suggested people should do what they can to ease the burden on the health-care system in the meantime by staying home if they’re sick, washing their hands and getting flu shots.

The virus known as COVID-19 is different from influenza and the flu shot doesn’t provide protection against it, but the fewer people who are sick, the less strain on doctors and hospitals.

About 81,000 people around the world have now become ill with COVID-19, with the World Health Organization reporting cases in 37 countries outside China.

There has been a rash of new cases appearing in Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan over the past week, and officials fear the virus could spread undetected in other countries that lack the capacity to monitor people for signs of infection.

Ontario health officials announced Wednesday they’d detected the 12th case in Canada so far. Each of the Canadian cases so far can be traced to a particular visit abroad.

As the virus spreads to more countries, Hajdu said travellers should recognize there could be a risk if they leave Canada.

“It’s important that people know that international travel may have exposed them to the novel coronavirus and they may not know,” she said.