- TORONTO (Reuters) - A Toronto
hospital has sent 30 more people into isolation after a nurse administrator
developed SARS-like symptoms, but a senior doctor there said on Friday
he was confident she did not have the deadly illness and the quarantine
would be lifted soon.
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- "This is not a setback for Toronto," Dr. Donald
Low, chief of microbiology at Mount Sinai Hospital, which put the 30 in
isolation, told reporters. "The bottom line is we're being awfully
cautious."
-
- The SARS virus has killed 23 people in Toronto, Canada's
financial hub and largest city, which is the only place outside Asia where
people have died from SARS. Twenty-four SARS patients are in hospitals
and three are critically ill.
-
- "Every time that somebody develops a respiratory
tract infection and can be linked in any way (to SARS) the onus is on us
to rule it out," Low said. "I think that is the proper thing
to do, but it just makes it difficult for us to get back to normal."
-
- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome has killed more than
510 people around the world and infected more than 7,300 in nearly 30 countries.
China and Hong Kong have been hardest hit with 440 deaths and nearly 6,500
cases.
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- In Toronto, the epicenter of the outbreak in Canada,
there were 263 probable and suspect cases as of Friday..
-
- Low, who has led Toronto's battle against SARS and himself
had to be quarantined, said it would be premature for the World Health
Organization to take Toronto off its SARS-affected area list as the virus
lingers in hospitals.
-
- He said it would make sense for the WHO, which lifted
a travel advisory against Toronto, to reassess the city's status in a week's
time.
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- There have been no SARS cases in Toronto outside of hospitals
since April 10 but there is still risk of contracting it in hospitals and
most of them are closed to visitors.
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- Staff dealing with SARS patients wear double layers of
gloves, full face shields and masks.
-
- Canada is stepping up screening of passengers at its
international airports. One fever scanner is already in operation at Toronto's
Pearson International Airport. Canada's health department said 12 more
scanners would be delivered from Singapore within 10 days. Six will be
used in Toronto and six at Vancouver's international airport.
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