'Fear is a bad epidemic': Quebec health official urges calm as no coronavirus cases detected

Quebec's public health director is urging the public not to give in to fear and misinformation as the province remains officially free of the new coronavirus.

Horacio Arruda says there are no confirmed cases of the virus in Quebec, and the chances of it being transmitted to the community are considered low.

However, he said it's possible some cases could be brought in by travellers, and he advised anyone who had travelled to the affected areas of China to contact health authorities if they're experiencing symptoms such as coughing, fever or respiratory problems.

Arruda said four people have beentested in Quebec, but none tested positive for the new coronavirus identified as a possible cause of theoutbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

He said confusion about how the virus is spread can lead to unnecessary anxiety, which does more harm than good.

While the numbers of deaths and the images circulating online can be scary, Arruda said, he reminded the public that the virus is not everywhereand that officials in Quebec and elsewhere are taking measures to prevent and control it.

"Fear is a very bad epidemic,'' he said. "Fear can make us take decisions that are not the right onesand focus on things that are not important.''

Rushing out to buy masks isn't the answer, Arruda says

He urged people not to rush out to buy masks, saying they are ineffective and can even be counterproductive unless proper protocols are followed.

As an example, he said wearing a mask can encourage people to touch their faces more often, which runs counter to the goal of preventing illness.

"If you use something in not the right way, it's like if you don't use it, or even it could be worse,'' he said.

Instead, he urged people to practise good "respiratory hygiene,'' which includes frequent hand washing and coughing into a tissue or one's elbow.

More than 7,700 people in China have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus and 170 of them have died.

There are three confirmed cases of the virus in Canada two in Ontario and one in British Columbia and all are linked to recent travel in China.