TORONTO -- The seventh case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Ontario has been confirmed in Toronto.
On Friday, health officials said that a man in his 50s arrived at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre on Feb. 26 with a recent travel history to Iran.
“The established infection prevention and control protocols were initiated; the patient was cared for at the hospital using all appropriate precautions, including being isolated as he was being tested for COVID-19,” officials said in a statement.
The man was discharged home the same day, where he remains in self-isolation. ‘
There are now currently four active cases in the province, all of which remain at their Toronto homes in self-isolation.
Ontario's Health Minister said that the risk of contracting COVID-19 remains low, but that the province is prepared if more cases emerge.
"We are ready should the situation change from what it is now, but as I've indicated, the risk remains very low," Christine Elliott said. "But it is important for all Ontarians to know we are prepared. Our hospitals are prepared. We have the protective equipment we need to protect our health officials and we are ready to move immediately should the situation change at any time."
On Wednesday, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams said that a woman in her 60s who also had a travel history to Iran, arrived at Sunnybrook Hospital on Feb. 24 with symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
The woman was suffering from a cough, sore throat, body aches and occasional fever. Officials said she reported symptoms to the hospital nine days after returning from Iran. Her husband, who did not travel to Iran with his wife, has also tested positive for the virus, making him Ontario’s first case of human-to-human transmission.
Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa said on Thursday that the husband, a man in his 60s, presented mild symptoms, including a cough and a self-reported fever. He is doing well at home, she said.
De Villa also stressed that officials have worked to trace the couple’s contact history and believe they have identified anyone who may be at risk of contracting COVID-19.
“At this stage of the game there is not local transmission of COVID-19,” she said.
A woman in her 20s, who arrived to Canada from China last week, is the fourth active case of COVID-19 in Ontario. She also remains in self-isolation at her home in Toronto.
There are 14 confirmed cases of the virus in Canada, with seven cases in British Columbia and one presumptive case in Quebec. The illness has infected more than 80,000 people around the world, and has caused more than 2,800 deaths.
