With a new coronavirus causing concern in Saudi Arabia and brief pockets elsewhere overseas, B.C.'s chief medical officer says this province is on high alert.
Dr. Perry Kendall says B.C. is often the first point of arrival for travellers, so precautions are being taken.
"Since January, certainly in B.C.., we've been on high alert on the front lines, which is in the emergency rooms, looking for people who may have a travel history either from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or Bahrain – Middle Eastern countries – who present with a severe respiratory illness."
During the week, the World Health Organization said there's a chance the disease is spreading person to person. Of the 41 confirmed cases so far, 20 people have died.
Dr. Perry Kendall