February 28th, 2020
CIPO Statement on COVID-19
CIPO has received many inquiries related to COVID-19 (the current coronavirus), most of which are related to patient specific travel or medical care. For specific medical inquiries, please contact your healthcare provider, or treating specialist.
COVID-19 in Canada:
As of today, there are 14 confirmed cases and 1 presumptive case of COVID-19 in Canada, with 7 active cases.
Province |
Number of Total Cases |
Number of Recovered Cases |
BC |
7 |
3 |
Ontario |
7 |
3 |
Quebec |
1 |
0 |
The risk to Canada is low. If you are concerned please contact your local public health.
Transmission:
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), COVID-19 is spread through the following ways:
- Respiratory droplets that are spread when you cough or sneeze
- Close personal contact with an infected person (such as shaking hands, or touching)
- Touching something with the virus on it and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands
Protection:
Since there is currently no vaccine or antibiotics to protect against COVID-19, it is important for immunodeficiency patients to protect themselves against the virus. The current recommended measures are:
- Frequent and effecient hand washing of at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water
- Avoid touching your face (eyes, mouth, nose) with unwashed hands
- Staying at home if you are feeling unwell
- Staying at least 1 metre (3 feet) from someone who is coughing or sneezing
Paper surgical masks will not offer any protection against COVID-19, and should only be worn when you are ill to protect people from your germs.
Travel:
If you are planning to travel within Canada, we recommend the following:
- Wipe down seats, armrests, trays, etc. with sanitizing wipes
- Wash and/or sanitize hands throughly and regularly
- Avoid touching your face
- If necessary, wear an N95 mask. Ensure proper fit before, as improper fit will lead to face touching while adjusting.
If you are planning to travel outside of Canada, we recommend reading the current Government of Canada travel advisories. https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories
Plasma Products:
The PPTA has issued a statement that there is no risk of transmission of COVID-19 into plasma products.
CIPO will continue to update on this virus as necessary.
For more information, please see the following:
COVID-19 map – https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
Canadian Blood Services
WHO https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Public Health Agency of Canada https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection.html#wb-auto-6
CIPO will continue to update on this virus as necessary.