COVID-19 is an infectious syndrome caused by SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus that has not been previously detected in humans.
Though information is rapidly evolving, at this point it is noted that though the vast majority of patients have only mild symptoms, a small portion develop critical illness, in particular hypoxemic respiratory failure.
COVID-19 is believed to be spread via respiratory droplets (similar to influenza, MERS, and SARS) and/or contact (e.g. contaminated hands to mucous membranes).
Person to person spread has been identified.
This document has been developed by the Provincial Critical Care Pediatric Communicable Disease Working Group