With the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus increasing acround the world, concern is growing in Canada. In fact, a study聽conducted by the Angus Reid Institute finds聽that a third of Canadians are worried that聽they may contract the virus.
What's more, two more people have聽tested positive for the coronavirus in the 麻豆传媒映画Coastal Health region, bringing the provincial total to four.聽
And while聽Canada's chief medical officer, Theresa Tam,聽says there is a low risk of an outbreak here of a coronoavirus in B.C., many locals are concered about travelling through major airports. In fact, only 8% of respondents to聽the Angus Reid poll聽said that the epidemic would not affect their travel decisions.聽
In 2018, a聽聽from the UK's University of Nottingham and the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare聽revealed the places with the highest presence of respiratory viruses in a major airport.聽
The study was conducted at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport - a major airport in Finland -聽during the winter of 2016. Reseachers collected聽surface and air samples weekly at three different times during the peak of flu season. Swabs and air samples, "were tested by real-time PCR for influenza A and B viruses, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, rhinovirus and coronaviruses聽(229E, HKU1, NL63 and OC43)."
Report authors remark that their, "main findings identify that respiratory virus contamination of frequently touched surfaces is not uncommon at airports."聽
The study highlights how plastic security trays pose a聽risk for contamination, because聽airports require all departing passengers to use security trays. Further, each security tray, "is rapidly recycled and potentially touched by several hundred passengers per day."聽
The study also reports that, "Viral nucleic acid was found in samples from the surfaces of a plastic toy dog in the children鈥檚 playground (two of three swabs, 66.7%), hand-carried luggage trays at the security check area (four of eight, 50%), the buttons of the payment terminal at the pharmacy (one of two, 50%), the handrails of stairs (one of seven, 14%) and the passenger side of desk and divider glass at the passport control points (one of three, 33.3%)."
Surprisingly, the study did not find any聽respiratory viruses in a considerable number of samples from the surfaces of toilets. Report authors note, however, that聽this "is not unexpected, as passengers may pay particular attention to limiting touch and to hand hygiene, in a washroom environment."
The Canadian government聽is warning travellers that they should聽avoid all 'non-essential travel'聽to China due聽to the outbreak of a novel coronavirus.聽The advsiory states that a聽number of聽airlines have suspended or reduced flights in and聽out of聽the country.聽Chinese authorities have aslo imposed travel restrictions in parts of the country, and聽further restrictions may be imposed on short notice. As a result,聽it may be increasingly difficult to travel within China or to exit it.
Coronavirus isn't聽something that people can get from casual contact.聽 A person must be in close proximity (within two metres) with somebody to be able to inhale those droplets if a person coughs or sneezes in front of them without covering up.
If a person has touched something that has droplets on it with coronavirus in it, as long as they clean their hands before touching their face or your mouth, they are not at risk of getting that virus in their body.
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control has issued an in-depth explainer around the coronavirus, touching on everything from how the virus is spread to preventative measures. Read more聽here.
- With files from John Kurucz / 麻豆传媒映画Courier
