COVID-19 Affected Areas Expanded

More cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) are expected in Canada as the areas affected by the virus continues to expand outside of China.

“While the risk to Nova Scotians is still low, we continue to work with our public health colleagues across Canada and our partners here in Nova Scotia to prepare for the possibility of seeing cases in this province,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health. “Good hygiene remains the best way to protect yourself and others.”

Anyone who has travelled from an affected area should closely monitor their health for 14 days after their arrival in Canada. If you have travelled to an affected area and develop a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, call 811 for an assessment.

To date, there have been no cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotians can find accurate, up-to-date information at https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/ .

Quick Facts:

• in December 2019, cases of pneumonia were reported in Wuhan, China, caused by a new virus that had not been seen in humans. The illness was caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and is called COVID-19
• Nova Scotia launched a website dedicated to the latest information about the coronavirus in January
• the Government of Canada has set up a novel coronavirus information line at 1-833-784-4397

Additional Resources:

The Public Health Agency of Canada maintains a list of affected areas: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/health-professionals/covid-19-affected-areas-list.html

Government of Canada: https://canada.ca/coronavirus

Nova Scotia Public Health offices: http://www.nshealth.ca/public-health-offices