Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services is investigating a confirmed case of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in an 84-year-old male. This is Niagara region’s first case of COVID-19.
The patient was transferred to the hospital by EMS for another medical problem on March 10 and subsequently tested positive for COVID-19 on March 12.
Health care providers and paramedics who interacted with the patient prior to developing symptoms will self-isolate out of an abundance of caution.
“The patient is currently in an isolation room undergoing treatment by our infectious diseases team to manage his symptoms and is in stable condition,” said Dr. Karim Ali, director, Division of Infectious Diseases, and Emergency Preparedness Lead. “We will continue to take every possible step to ensure the safety of our staff, physicians, patients and families.”
To protect the health of the public and prevent community spread, Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services is actively investigating and following up with close contacts. Investigation into the source for this person’s infection is currently underway. The person does not have any recent travel history. However, a family member of the person recently returned from Portugal, and so the working hypothesis is that this family member is the source of infection. The family member has now been isolated, and Public Health is working to identify all contacts for further follow-up.
