Efforts are being made in the Powell River region to monitor the COVID-19 virus pandemic.
Ryan Thoms, manager of emergency services for the qathet Regional District, said there is a pandemic section in the regional emergency plan.
“It’s something we’ve never had to test, obviously,” said Thoms. “It’s not like fires, or storms and things we have a more concrete sense of.”
Thoms said he is really appreciating what the health authorities are offering in terms of information to emergency services.
“We are trying to separate fact from fiction,” he said.
Thoms also appreciates that the provincial health officer had a conference call for local governments and made it clear the value of doing as much as possible to slow and prevent the spread of the virus.
“We want to push off, as much as possible, the inevitable arrival of the virus,” he said. “The more you can push it off and the slower it arrives, the better and the less likely of overwhelming, like all of that tragic stuff you see in Italy and China.
“We don’t want to see that here.”
Thoms said he has also been working with Emergency Management BC regarding the issue.
“We are certainly paying a lot of attention to COVID-19,” said Thoms.
He said there is good information on COVID-19 on the BC Centre for Disease Control website as well as on Vancouver Coastal Health website.
“It’s valuable and it’s good information,” said Thoms.
He has received enquiries from local residents, from the business community, and internally, from regional district staff, regarding the virus.
“We’ve also had some really good discussions with our fire departments, BC Ambulance and our fire dispatch,” said Thoms. “There is certainly a lot of concern for our firefighters’ health and safety. There have been some really good developments through dispatch of making sure that our medical first responders and ambulance are aware of someone who calls 911 with flu-like symptoms, so that they, in advance, can minimize their exposure. Losing a few to quarantine, let alone the flu, could be very hard and put a lot of stress on the system.
“Dispatch will be making sure our fire and ambulance personnel are taking precautions. There is planning going on.”
There are no cases of COVID-19 in Powell River that have been confirmed by authorities.
The following information is from the emergency preparedness workbook, which can be found on the qathet Regional District website at qathet.ca under emergency services:
Disease outbreaks happen when a virus spreads easily from person to person and around the world. New virus strains are likely to cause more illnesses and potentially more deaths than seasonal flu due to a lack of immunity.
Influenza pandemics happen every 10 to 40 years. No one can predict exactly when a pandemic will happen.
Some disease outbreaks spread easily from person to person by:
· Breathing tiny droplets in the air after an infected person coughs or sneezes;
· Touching tiny droplets of nose or eye secretions from an infected person and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth; and,
· Touching objects like dirty tissues or surfaces that have been handled by an infected person and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Viruses can be spread from hard surfaces like door knobs for up to 12 hours, and from softer/porous surfaces, like hands and tissues, for several minutes.
Viruses can be spread by an infected person from about one day before symptoms appear to five days after symptoms appear, and maybe longer in children and some adults.
Staying healthy:
· Have good routine health practices like eating well, getting enough sleep and exercising regularly.
· Wash your hands often and for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water, and always after you cough or sneeze. An anti-bacterial hand cleaner may also work if you do not have ready access to water and soap. This is still the best way to protect yourself.
· Practice good cough manners. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, or cough into your upper sleeve if you don’t have a tissue. Throw the used tissue into the garbage right away and wash your hands.
· Stay home if you are sick to make sure that you get the rest you need and also so you don’t spread your germs to others.
· Stay away from people who are sick. You should especially try to stay at least one metre (about three feet) away from people who are sick with the contagious illnesses.
· Try not to touch your eyes, nose or mouth. This is a common way to spread or come into contact with germs.
· Avoid public gatherings and crowds.
The Peak is still awaiting comment from the Powell River medical community.
