A Lethbridge College instructor is worried for her family in Hong Kong, where the coronavirus pandemic has claimed several lives. Ann Tso teaches english composition at the college in the general studies department, but she returns home every year to visit her parents and brother.
“They are very concerned. Just because there are quite a few more cases in Hong Kong. People are nervous about catching the disease when they go out,” said Tso.
So far seven cases have been confirmed in Canada – three in Ontario and four in B.C., as of Feb. 11, according to the Canadian government.
“It’s actually a lot like the common flu that goes around each year. We’re going to be noticing a fever, a cough, difficulty breathing and in severe cases, pneumonia or kidney failure,” said Emma McClure, immunization nurse at the college.
McClure added the coronavirus is proving less fatal than the 2003 SARS outbreak, but it is spreading faster.
“The severity of the effects of it on people are actually showing to be much less deadly than SARS was. I think SARS was sitting at around 20 per cent fatality – somewhere in that range – and this one is only at two per cent,” she said.
Students can lower their risk of contracting the coronavirus the same way they avoid catching the flu or a common cold: practicing good hygiene and keeping hands away from the eyes, according to McClure.
“Those are the points of entry for viruses. As well as staying home if you’re sick, wearing a face mask too. If you do notice you have a cough and you’re not sure what it is – [it] can help save other people around you,” said the immunization nurse.
Tso said people in Hong Kong already express anti-China sentiment and the coronavirus crisis has many calling for a complete shut-down of the border.
“Recently, my brother said that he wanted to go to Taiwan and now he’s thinking maybe he should not go, because what if he can’t return?” said the college instructor.
According to McClure, the college gets its information from Alberta Health Services during pandemics such as the coronavirus.
“At this point, they haven’t really said much, because no one in Alberta is actually infected with it yet,” she said.
