A dental clinic in Sooke is advising all its patients to take the precaution of self isolating after one of their staff members attended a dental conference where an outbreak of COVID-19 was detected.
According to a statement from Otter Point Dental, one of the staff members at the clinic attended a dental conference in Vancouver last weekend.
Multiple positive cases of COVID-19 were linked to that conference, and following the orders of provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, the staff member at Otter Point is currently in self isolation.
The statement from the clinic says the individual is not showing any symptoms of novel coronavirus. COVID-19 testing is not available for individuals who are not displaying symptoms at this time.
As a precautionary measure, any patient who visited the Otter Point Dental clinic or had any contact with staff after March 7th is asked to self isolate.
“Otter Point Dental staff will continue to monitor the changing COVID-19 situation based on information from the CDSBC and Provincial Health Office,” reads the statement.
“We are following suggested practices and protocols to ensure that our clinic will be a safe place to provide and receive emergency treatment.”
At this time, the Sooke clinic will be open for essential emergencies manned by staff members that did not attend the Pacific Dental Conference.
See all the latest updates about the global COVID-19 pandemic on Vancouver Island
Based on the latest updates, there are 231 cases of COVID-19 in B.C. including 16 on Vancouver Island.
The federal government recently announced an $82 billion assistance package for Canadians and businesses struggling financially during the global pandemic.
On Tuesday, B.C. joined Alberta and Ontario in declaring a public health emergency in order to curb the spread of COVID-19. Today, B.C. Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth declared a provincial state of emergency to support the health ministry’s public health emergency.
The provincial government also announced the indefinite suspension of all in-person classes at K-12 schools in B.C.
Canada has also tightened its borders and is denying entry to people who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents in Canada. U.S. citizens are no longer an exception to this rule.
Moreover international flights will now be restricted to international airports in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary.
The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.
Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.
The Province has also created the 1-888-COVID-19 line to connect British Columbians needing non-medical information about the coronavirus pandemic.
As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 218,721.
Nearly 9,000 people have died from the illness and 84,386 have made a full recovery.
