One of the four passengers from the hantavirus-striken cruise who has been isolating on Vancouver Island has tested positive for the virus, B.C.’s top doctor announced Saturday.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the individual developed a headache and fever two days ago and was tested at a hospital in Victoria Friday evening, resulting in a “presumptive positive” test for the Andes strain from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
Results from the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg to confirm the case are expected to come over the weekend, she added.
“Clearly this is not what we hoped for, but it is what we planned for,” Henry told reporters at a news conference in Victoria.
The Canadians flown to B.C. last weekend from the MV Hondius included a couple in their 70s from the Yukon, a person in their 70s from Vancouver Island, and a person in their 50s who is from B.C. but lives abroad.
When the four arrived at Victoria International Airport on May 10, none of them had symptoms and they were directly transported to lodging set up by Island Health for a minimum 21-day quarantine, Henry said.
It was one of the Yukon residents who tested positive, and the other member of the couple also presented “very minor” symptoms but tested negative, according to officials.
The person in their 50s was hospitalized “out of an abundance of caution” to be monitored and the Vancouver Island resident remains in isolation at home.
Henry said the Yukoner is in stable condition and their symptoms remain mild so far.
“As you can imagine, this is a very challenging and precarious time for these individuals, and for their families and loved ones. It is encouraging that symptoms were identified early,” Henry said.
She stressed that hantavirus is different than COVID-19, influenza, and measles and it is not considered to have “pandemic potential.”
“I want to reassure everybody in B.C. that for most of us the situation has not changed,” she said. “We’ve had infection control precautions in place from the moment these people arrived in British Columbia, and I’m confident there’s no additional risk to anybody else outside of the people who’ve been caring for these individuals.”
Henry said the repatriated passengers have had no contact with the public, and health-care workers are following safety protocols.
Dr. Réka Gustafson, chief medical officer for Island Health, said people should not be worried about going to the hospitals—Victoria General and Royal Jubilee—where the passengers are isolating in negative pressure rooms.
“The infection control measures in place are specifically designed for situations like this, and are working as intended,” she said.
Since Andes virus outbreak was detected on the cruise ship on May 2, as of Wednesday a total of 11 hantavirus cases had been reported, according to the World Health Organization. The one in B.C. would bring the total to 12.
There have been three recorded deaths.
