Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab. (Joseph Ho/980 CJME)

By Adriana Christianson

Sask. Health: 13 people tested, but no confirmed cases of coronavirus

Feb 6, 2020 | 6:04 PM

There still aren’t any confirmed cases of coronavirus in Saskatchewan, but 13 people have been tested because they reported symptoms after travelling to China.

At the weekly provincial influenza update Thursday in Regina, Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said six of those tests have come back negative for coronavirus and the results are pending on seven more.

Saskatchewan Health is now recommending anyone who has recently travelled to Hubei province — where the outbreak is centred in the quarantined city of Wuhan — isolate themselves at home for 14 days even if they don’t have any symptoms.

The same recommendations apply to anyone who has been in contact with someone sick with the virus. Canadians being evacuated from the affected area are already being isolated in Trenton, Ont., for two weeks.

Shahab said the Ministry of Health will be updated on any individuals in that group who are from Saskatchewan, as well as anyone who may be quarantined on a cruise ship. At this point, however, he isn’t aware of anyone from the province in those situations.

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The province is also asking anyone who has travelled anywhere in China to be on high alert and report even the mildest symptoms like a cough, fatigue or fever to HealthLine and to isolate themselves immediately.

With those measures, the province hopes to restrict or prevent any potential spread of the virus, which presents like the common cold.

“If you have not travelled to China and you are in Saskatchewan, there should not be any concern at this point. It is not transmitting person to person at this point in Canada or in Saskatchewan,” Shahab explained.

He said there aren’t any major concerns about travelling through busy airports to and from any other countries besides China.

“That’s a common question we’ve been getting: Is there any risk travelling through major airports?” Shahab said. “Currently, that does not seem to be the case because even for people who have come to Canada and developed symptoms, in many cases the symptoms developed a few days after arrival, they were mild and people have been very conscientious in self-isolating themselves at the first sign of symptoms and calling their local HealthLine numbers.”

When asked about anecdotal reports that surgical masks are selling out in stores, Shahab said there is really “no value” in using a mask as a protective measure in public or even while travelling.

The only situations where masks are recommended, he said, are in waiting rooms or hospitals when you have a cough or cold in order to protect others or for doctors and nurses treating people with respiratory infections.