First Australian case of coronavirus confirmed in Victoria, as death toll rises in China - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Now in Australia. It appears to be second gen transmission.
First Australian case of coronavirus confirmed in Victoria, as death toll rises in China
UPDATED 26 MINUTES AGO
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A video published to Chinese social media allegedly shows bodies in a Wuhan hospital.
ABC NEWS
The first Australian case of coronavirus has been confirmed, with a man being held under isolation in a Melbourne hospital.
Key points:
- A Chinese man in his 50s is being isolated in a Melbourne hospital with a confirmed case of coronavirus
- NSW has confirmed five people in the state are being tested for coronavirus
- The virus has so far killed at least 41 people in China and sickened more than a thousand more
News of the case came after Chinese authorities said
the death toll from the outbreak had jumped to 41, with 1,287 confirmed cases.
The Melbourne patient is a Chinese man in his 50s who recently spent time in the city of Wuhan, where the deadly outbreak is believed to have originated in an illegal wildlife market.
He is in a stable condition at the Monash Medical Centre.
China's coronavirus lockdown
Chinese cities covering more than 20 million people have been placed into lockdown.
He spent two weeks in Wuhan before coming to Australia, arriving in Melbourne on China Southern Airlines flight CZ321 from Guangzhou on the morning of Sunday, January 19, and has been with his family since then.
The first leg of his trip was from Wuhan to Guangzhou.
This morning Victorian Health said it was "highly likely" more coronavirus infections would be confirmed, but said the risk of the disease spreading from person to person in the general community was low.
All the other passengers who were on the man's flight are being contacted by health authorities. The man's family is being closely monitored for any signs of illness.
Emilia Terzon@EmiliaTerzon
https://twitter.com/EmiliaTerzon/status/1220880962445168641
#BREAKING The Chinese man diagnosed with Coronavirus in a Melbourne hospital did NOT go to the markets in Wuhan where it is thought to have originated. He’s a second generation case and it’s unclear how he got it.
@abcnews
44
8:27 PM - Jan 24, 2020
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Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said "the gentleman and the family did everything right."
"He exhibited no symptoms on the flight and when he did experience some symptoms of illness they contacted the GP on Thursday, they called ahead and he was double-masked when he presented to the GP clinic.
"He was not confirmed to have coronavirus by the GP. The family contacted the Monash Medical Centre on Friday, they called ahead of time and again he was masked before he turned up at [emergency] and [was] immediately put into isolation."
Victoria's deputy chief health officer Angie Bone said she was concerned that the GP did not link a person coming from Wuhan and a respiratory virus with a possible case of coronavirus, but she was "very glad that the family then brought extra help the following day when he clearly wasn't getting any better."
Dr Bone said the state would increase messaging to GPs and the doctor would be contacted and asked to monitor his own health.
Federal and state health ministers will convene a teleconference this afternoon to discuss Australia's response to the case.
People tested in NSW, entire cities in lockdown in China
New South Wales Health has confirmed five people in the state are being tested for coronavirus, but none of those cases have been confirmed.
Two people were discharged after returning negative test results in NSW yesterday. A child on an incoming flight prompted a scare at Sydney International airport last night, but Sydney Children's Hospital says the child was assessed and then released.