Coronavirus Adelaide: 74yo man dies after catching COVID-19 on Ruby Princess cruise ship
A 74-year-old man from metropolitan Adelaide has died from coronavirus overnight. SA Health said he caught the virus on the Ruby Princess cruise ship.
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A 74-year-old man from metropolitan Adelaide has become the state’s fourth person to die from coronavirus.
SA Health announced the man caught COVID-19 from the Ruby Princess cruise ship and died in the Royal Adelaide Hospital on Saturday night.
He is the second Ruby Princess passenger to die in SA, after an Adelaide-based woman, 62, died on Wednesday morning after catching the virus on the ship.
“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the man,” an SA Health statement reads.
The 74-year-old man’s death brings the state’s coronavirus death toll to four.
Francesco “Frank” Ferraro, 75, of Campbelltown, became SA’s first COVID-19 victim on Monday night, while Malcolm Todd, 76, of Barmera, lost his battle on Wednesday.
Mr Todd’s case is linked to the Barossa Valley cluster, which has been traced to US and Swiss tour groups.
CALL TO SHUN SHOPS AS ONE NEW CASE RECORDED
South Australians have been urged to shun shopping – or restrict numbers visiting shops – with authorities issuing fresh testing pleas as the Adelaide Airport coronavirus cluster widens.
SA Health yesterday revealed just one new SA case, taking the state’s total to 429, as a landmark COVID-219 vaccine trial was launched.
But while praising the public for social-distancing and adhering to restrictions, the State Government urged families to restrict shopping to one relative.
Premier Steven Marshall told the Sunday Mail there were no bans on visiting shops or locations such as Bunnings.
“We still very strongly advise people to maintain good social-distancing when they are out,” he said.
The state’s top public health official also issued a fresh plea to Adelaide Airport visitors since March 17 to get urgently tested over Easter even if they have “mild symptoms”.
“We are taking this issue at Adelaide Airport very, very seriously,” the Chief Public Health Officer, Associate Professor Dr Nicola Spurrier, said.
While 225 people have recovered – or more than half of all SA cases – a new community transmission patient emerged yesterday, in which no links were known. There are now five mysterious cases.
Dr Spurrier said investigators had identified new links to existing clusters, including at the airport, up one to 34; the Barossa Valley, up one to 29; and the Ruby Princess cruise ship, up three to 89. The new cases are “secondary”.
A Qantas duty customer assistant manager has the virus, prompting investigators to seek detailed airline information yesterday on staff locations across three terminal floors, not involving public access, and areas’ closing times, including the club lounges.
Three of the baggage handler cluster are in the Royal Adelaide Hospital, including one in intensive care.
They are among 15 RAH patients, seven of whom are in ICU. Of those, four are fighting for their lives.
Ruling out any imminent shutdown of the “critical” airport infrastructure, Dr Spurrier said a range of sanctions – including forced quarantining and new deep cleaning – could be imposed. She said Qantas was co-operating.
“(We) are looking at a range of interventions because it is so important that we get really to the bottom of this,” she said.
A Qantas spokeswoman said last night: “We continue to work closely with SA Health.”
Meanwhile, a $200,000 South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute trial will investigate whether an established tuberculosis vaccine could boost immune systems among health workers to reduce virus symptoms.
Seven new cases on Friday
On Friday, South Australia recorded seven new coronavirus cases as newly designed official heat maps showed the concentration of patients.
Friday’s result was a jump from the one COVID-19 case recorded on Thursday.
SA Health yesterday revealed more than 40 per cent of the state’s cases have since recovered from the disease.
It capped a week in which three patients died in the Royal Adelaide Hospital’s intensive care unit.
Francesco “Frank” Ferraro, 75, of Campbelltown became the state’s first COVID-19 victim on Monday night, an Adelaide-based Ruby Princess passenger, 62, died on Wednesday morning while Malcolm Todd, 76, of Barmera, lost his battle a few hours later.
His case is linked to the Barossa Valley cluster, which has been traced to US and Swiss tour groups.
The state’s deputy chief public health officer, Dr Mike Cusack, revealed another Barossa Valley cluster case yesterday, taking the total to 39.
Of those, 29 are linked to the Americans and 10 to the Swiss tourist group.
While 179 people have recovered, another 15 patients are being treated in the RAH, with six – aged 52 to 77 – in intensive care. Of those, four patients were fighting for life in critical condition last night.
SA Health published new heat maps yesterday, showing “active” cases in Charles Sturt Prospect, Tea Tree Gully and Marion councils.
The former Wakefield Hospital’s rebuild into a dedicated response facility has been completed while the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme offices have been shut.