U of S professor examines reaction to coronavirus

So far, there haven’t been any confirmed cases of coronavirus in Saskatchewan, but officials and those on the health-care frontlines are keeping a close eye on the situation.

Dr. Joseph Blondeau is the head of clinical microbiology at Royal University Hospital and the University of Saskatchewan.

He told Gormley the data is becoming more clear that as the coronavirus spreads, the majority of cases are mild, with a mortality rate of 4.3 per cent.

“Looking at the mortality rates is simply not enough. What are some of the comorbidities that may be present in some of these patients which may increase the likelihood of an unfavourable outcome?” asked Blondeau.

Blondeau said things that have been cited so far include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic lung disease, hypertension and other pre-existing conditions that can place people into a higher risk category.

“Symptoms associated with COVID-19 have been documented to be fever, cough and shortness of breath. I think if you continue to progress to a point where you are having trouble breathing at all, then that’s probably the point where this virus is becoming a more serious infection,” said Blondeau.

Blondeau said the dichotomy is interesting, as the public seems to be taking a big interest in getting whatever information it can on the coronavirus outbreak, but doesn’t seem to put the same importance on seasonal influenza.

“I know they are two different entities, but last year the United States Centers for Disease Control estimated that because it was a bad respiratory season, upwards of 80,000 to 88,000 people died from influenza,” said Blondeau.

Blondeau said influenza is a seasonal virus for which we have an amazing vaccine program but unfortunately, observers have seen complacency in the population over the last number of years in regards to vaccination.

“So we have folks who don’t want to take influenza seriously and are now becoming concerned about coronavirus, and in fact, I think the measures we’ve taken in this country so far have proved very important in limiting the spread to date,” he said.

Blondeau also said despite all the measures the public has at its disposal, hand-washing continues to be the simplest and most effective thing that can be done to prevent spreading viruses.