At a press conference in Vancouver on Wednesday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed that the first person diagnosed with coronavirus in British Columbia has fully recovered.
The second, third, and fourth patients who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this year are now asymptomatic and the Ministry of Health expects them to test negative for the virus and make a full recovery.
See also: B.C. Health Ministry confirms 5th case of coronavirus in the province
The fifth patient in the Interior Health Region is currently in stable condition under self isolation.
Dr. Henry stated that all five cases in B.C. have been relatively mild and while there is no specific treatment regimen, recovery from COVID-19 is reliant upon rest, hydration, and good nutrition.
The Health Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that thus far, around 500 people in British Columbia have been tested for coronavirus with only five positive cases.
Far more people have tested positive for influenza – an outcome which is not surprising to Dr. Henry given that this is influenza season both in Canada and in China.
“People who have travelled who have developed a fever and symptoms are much more likely to have influenza, and all of those things that we do everyday to protect ourselves from influenza are also important things to protect ourselves from COVID-19,” she adds.
Travellers returning to B.C.
Approximately a third of the people who were airlifted back Canada from Wuhan, China will soon be returning home to British Columbia after their 14-day isolation period in Trenton, Ontario. Authorities say none of them have tested positive for coronavirus.
Meanwhile, passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship who were quarantined near Japan after a coronavirus outbreak are now ending their 14-day isolation period.
According to Dr. Henry, the 43 Canadians who were diagnosed with COVID-19 on that cruise ship will undergo a further 14 days of quarantine upon returning home.
Authorities are also monitoring Canadians who were onboard the Westerdam cruise ship on which one passenger tested positive for COVID-19 after the ship docked in Cambodia.
Around 20 Canadian passengers of the Westerdam returned to British Columbia before the coronavirus patient was diagnosed.
All of them were identified at the Canadian border and public health officials are monitoring them on a daily basis as they remain in self isolation at home.
As of the time of publication, over 2,000 people have succumbed to COVID-19 worldwide.
