Wife of Canada's first coronavirus patient tests positive; 19 under investigation

The wife of Canada’s first confirmed patient with the fast-spreading Wuhan coronavirus also has tested positive for it at an Ontario laboratory, and 19 other suspected cases in Canada are under investigation, public health officials said on Monday.

Her husband had been confirmed to have the virus by a national laboratory in Winnipeg, according to the release. He is currently stable at a hospital in Toronto. The man had mild symptoms while on a flight to Toronto from Guangzhou, China, Canada’s chief health officer Theresa Tam told reporters on Sunday.

The couple arrived in Toronto on Jan. 22 after visiting Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak. There are no other members of their household, said Toronto medical officer Eileen de Villa. Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health David Williams said the couple were wearing masks on their flight from Guangzhou and had taken their own transportation home from the airport.

Officials have contacted passengers who were in close contact to the couple while on the same flight to Toronto, said Williams, but he did not specify how many people were contacted. The passengers were told to follow up with health officials should they develop signs and symptoms of the disease. The flu-like symptoms include fever, cough and breathing difficulty. To be under investigation, patients have to have relevant symptoms and a history of travel to Wuhan or surrounding areas within 14 days, officials said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-canada/wife-of-canadas-first-coronavirus-patient-tests-positive-19-under-investigation-idUSKBN1ZQ1NS