At a news conference today, Alberta chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hineshaw reconfirmed there are currently zero probable and confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Alberta.

Testing does continue, and Alberta Health is making sure its systems are ready should there be a confirmed travel-related case.

"We continue to test for the Nova coronavirus in Alberta of people who may have been exposed to the virus through travel to Hubei Province in China or other settings where transmission is known to be occurring," says Dr. Hineshaw. "Several cases have been tested so far and we expect more will be tested in the coming days."

"We're being very precautionary with respect to the cases that we're testing, so the number of cases being testing is not an indication of risk to the public."

"What we're seeing of many of these tests is people coming back are more likely to have influenza than the novel coronavirus."

The symptoms of both are similar. Like influenza, contracting novel coronavirus doesn't necessarily mean severe illness or death. There's a wide range of impacts.

Those tested are kept in isolation until the test results come back negative.

The chief health officer says anyone who is in close contact with somebody who has recently returned, and are feeling ill, can call 811 to get advice.

There are no direct flights to China from Alberta. All flights arrive and depart from international airports in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal.

A pneumonia outbreak was identified in Wuhan, China on December 31, 2019. It’s now known to be caused by a novel (new) coronavirus and there’s evidence of person-to-person spread.

Prevention

To help protect against all respiratory illnesses, including the flu and coronavirus, Alberta Health recommends:

  • use good hygiene practices, such as frequent handwashing
  • stay at home and away from others if you are feeling ill
  • consult the Travel Health Notice for China if travelling abroad before leaving the country contact your primary health provider or 811 Health Link if you have questions or concerns about your health

Symptoms

Symptoms for the novel coronavirus are similar to those for influenza or other respiratory illnesses. They can range from mild to severe. They include:

  • fever
  • cough
  • difficulty breathing
  • pneumonia and kidney failure