WARMINGTON: Wuhan to Toronto, coronavirus hits home
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The people in Hazmat suits dealing with the contagious coronavirus were not in China or Iran.
They were at Yonge and Eglinton.
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WARMINGTON: Wuhan to Toronto, coronavirus hits home Back to video
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When it comes to concerns of spreading, it’s no longer just in Wuhan but closer to home in midtown Toronto.
A case of COVID-19 in a student at an ESL school at 90 Eglinton Ave. E., affiliated with the Toronto District Catholic School Board, has been confirmed.
Called the LINC program, it is “funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)” for permanent residents seeking English language skills.
This was one of the 15 cases provincial Medical Officer of Health David Williams confirmed.
My colleague Brian Lilley is writing on four new cases.
As for the one at Yonge and Eglinton, details like the student’s gender, background, how the disease was contracted, their medical condition or whereabouts are unknown.
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Citing privacy rules, Toronto Public Health (TPH) not revealing personal information leaves questions.
How was it contracted? From a trip? Another student? How many staff or students were exposed?
With such a public health risk, full disclosure is in the public’s interest.
What we do know is, out of precaution, TPH sent a letter Wednesday to those who could have been in the vicinity.
“This individual last attended the facility on Feb. 25 and did not have symptoms on that day,” the letter says.
“Coronaviruses are spread mainly from person to person between people who are in close contact with one another.”
But on Sunday, TPH was not sounding the alarm bell that this patient’s infection had spread to others.
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“At this time the COVID-19 virus is not circulating locally,” said Dr. Herveen Sachdeva, associate medical officer of health at Toronto Public Health.
“The school can operate regularly. We continue to carefully monitor the COVID-19 situation and encourage residents to stay informed by regularly reviewing credible information sources such as our web site Toronto.ca/coronavirus.”
This case brings the total of confirmed cases in Toronto to five.
Mayor John Tory said the city continues “to advise the risk to the public is low — and avoid both complacency or panic.”
Meanwhile, even though TPH has said the school can re-open, it is unclear if it will operate Monday.
The building’s management also was unreachable Sunday to comment on if it will be business-as-usual with movement on elevators, in offices, stores and restaurants inside the building, near Yonge Street.
What was clear Sunday was a crew on-site wearing white hazmat suits with masks and hoods.
A staffer who works for the building said a special, outside cleaning company had been in Suite 200 over the weekend sanitizing the classroom area after a student was diagnosed with coronavirus.
When it comes to the spread of COVID-19, it’s not longer something we see happening abroad, on cruise ships, at CFB Trenton or Cornwall — but right here in the heart of Toronto.
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