Northern Ontario has its first case of the novel coronavirus.
Public Health Sudbury and Districts has confirmed that a man in his 50s presented himself to the emergency department of Sudbury's Health Sciences North on Saturday, with symptoms including cough and shortness of breath - officials emphasize the hospital took all necessary precautions, and the man's now been sent home for self-isolation.
While the case is still being investigated, officials note the man had attended the Prospecters and Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto on March 2nd and 3rd - the local health unit's in contact with its Toronto counterpart to further investigate any contacts he had there, to determine how he was infected.
The man drove back to Sudbury in his personal vehicle, and ended up going to work for two days before he went to hospital - the health unit says it is or has contacted his "very few" personal contacts, but they're focusing on warning other attendees of the P-DAC conference, saying if they have symptoms of COVID-19 to self-isolate and immediately consult their health care provider.
High-profile attendees include Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford.
Federal Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan recently announced he was entering self-isolation as he awaits test results amid a "persistent head cold for a few days", though O'Regan doesn't believe that he was in contact with anyone infected with COVID-19.