Coronavirus Adelaide: SA records third coronavirus death as five new cases recorded
A third South Australian has died from COVID-19, SA Health has announced this morning, and he is believed to have been in contact with a tour group which visited a Barossa restaurant.
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South Australia has recorded its third death from coronavirus, with a Riverland man succumbing to the disease overnight.
The 76-year-old died in the Royal Adelaide Hospital last night, SA Health announced.
“Our thoughts are with his family and friends,” SA Health said in a statement.
It is believed the man’s infection was linked to the Barossa cluster, in which Swiss tourists who had contracted the disease visited the wine region. The SA victim had visited Barossa restaurant Lyndoch Hill.
Premier Steven Marshall described the man’s death as “extraordinarily sad news”.
“My condolences to his friends and family,” he told ABC Radio this morning.
“This is the first example in South Australia where it’s not overseas-acquired or interstate-acquired – it’s been acquired here in South Australia.
“It really does massively underscore why we are putting these restrictions in place. This is a terrible, deadly insidious disease.”
Mr Marshall said it was a “fair assumption” that the man came in contact with the Swiss tour group.
“It probably was from this group that came in and this is the problem, people just going about their ordinary lives, innocent activity and they’ve lost their life because of this disease,” he said.
“It really just says to all of us...we can’t take our foot off the brake.”
Mr Marshall also said that there were no plans to lift any coronavirus restrictions anytime soon.
“I’ve been inundated with calls saying ‘oh we’ve only had five (new infections)’ or ‘we’ve only had two, can we lift the restrictions?’. Not now. We’re not even contemplating it,” he said.
“No state or territory is contemplating this. We’ve still got a long way to go.”
Berri Barmera Mayor Peter Hunt passed on his condolences to the man’s family and friends.
“It’s just a sad time for everyone,” he said.
Mr Hunt said it was an unfortunate case of being “in the wrong place, at the wrong time”.
“I think it will bring home to people in rural areas that this can happen to anyone, anywhere,” he said.
Lyndoch Hill owners Mark and Mandy Creed issued a statement on the tragedy this afternoon.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of (the man’s) passing,” they said.
“Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and friends at this sad time.”
There are 38 confirmed cases linked to areas within the Barossa region including Tanunda, Nuriootpa, Williamstown, Angaston and Lyndoch.
Anyone in these areas from Saturday, March 14 who develops symptoms should immediately self-isolate and be tested.
Travel in or out of these towns should now be limited and any non-essential travel within the region is discouraged. Anyone attending work should adhere to social distancing guidelines and working from home is encouraged.
The 76-year-old man’s death comes after a 62-year-old Adelaide woman died in the RAH from COVID-19 on Wednesday morning. She had been a passenger on the Ruby Princess cruise ship. A total of 86 SA cases of coronavirus are linked to the ship.
The state recorded its first coronavirus death on Monday night when Frank Ferraro, 75, died on Monday night.
Mr Ferraro had recently attended a wedding in Melbourne, in which some guests had travelled from Italy.
Five people test positive for COVID-10 yesterday, bringing the total number of cases in SA to 420.
Yesterday’s cases range in age from those in their 20s to people in their 50s.
MORE TO COME
State Government partners with Chesser to make hand sanitiser
The State Government has partnered with Ferryden Park family-owned business Chesser Chemicals to produce 20,000 bottles of hand sanitiser per week.
Premier Steven Marshall said the move would help address a sanitiser shortage which has seen concern among health workers and schools while supermarkets shelves have been stripped of supplies.
“This will ensure ongoing supplies for hospitals, schools and other government services,” Mr Marshall said.
“Twelve extra staff have been employed to support increased production.”
Second SA victim on Ruby Princess
The Ruby Princess cruise ship debacle has wrought “havoc” across Australia, the Premier has said after an Adelaide woman became South Australia’s first coronavirus victim linked to the infamous vessel.
In the state’s second COVID-19 death in two days, the female passenger, 62, lost her battle against the disease early Wednesday after a fight for life during the past fortnight in the Royal Adelaide Hospital’s intensive care unit.
In other developments on Wednesday:
■ Five new cases were announced (scroll down)
■ Heat mapping shows where the most pronounced outbreaks are in SA
■ Penalties for anyone who deliberately passes on coronavirus to healthcare workers
■ JobKeeper legislation is passing through Parliament
The woman’s husband, who was unable to be at her bedside, was too distressed to speak publicly as a New South Wales criminal investigation started into the cruise ship debacle, a public inquiry was promised and the total SA cases remained at relatively low levels.
It remains unclear if any of the woman’s family are infected. The woman, who had very mild health problems, was among 86 local cases linked to the cruise ship, in SA Health’s biggest cluster.
Official figures show 80 are primary cases – in which the patient was a passenger – and another six secondary, such as people they have been in contact with later.
At least 15 passengers have died across Australia while more than 600 have fallen ill.
Her death came just over a day after Francesco “Frank” Ferraro, 75, became the state’s first COVID-19 victim.
Another female patient and six men, aged between 52 and 77, were fighting for life last night in a critical condition, among 18 patients being cared for in the RAH.
SA Health on Wednesday announced five new cases, bringing the total to 420. It included another patient with community transmission – in which no known links can be found – bringing the total to five. Another six mysterious cases are under investigation while 120 people have recovered.
The Qantas cluster increased to 33 on Wednesday.
Premier Steven Marshall, who wrote a handwritten note to the woman’s grieving family, passed on the state’s condolences on “another sad day”.
He said it underscored the disease’s devastation. “This is a shocking situation,” he said.
“Every single Australian really knows about the Ruby Princess and it has caused havoc right across our nation and now we are seeing it very clearly here in South Australia.
“This is very real. This is not a time to be complacent, this is a nasty virus.”
Chief Public Health Officer associate professor Dr Nicola Spurrier also paid tribute.
“It does show, unfortunately what a devastating disease this virus (is),” she said.
“And despite having world class intensive care facilities here, unfortunately this virus still is a killer.
“I know that everyone … will be thinking about this family – 62 is certainly relatively young. This is a virus that doesn’t discriminate.”
Amid fears of a convergence of coronavirus and influenza, officials are urging eligible people to have their free flu jabs immediately.
The flu vaccine does not protect against the disease it will ensure people potentially are not fighting both.
Free flu vaccines are available to everyone aged over 65, pregnant women, children aged six months to under five, all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and anyone with medical conditions that make them vulnerable to flu complications.
The homeless also are eligible for free shots under a new state funded program, and frontline health workers will also be given free shots.
Mr Marshall said 223,000 doses of the 2020 vaccine have been distributed to providers and he urged eligible people to immediately book in.
“It is super important this year, more than ever before, that vulnerable South Australians take advantage of the free flu vaccination,” he said.
“While the flu vaccine will not stop someone contracting COVID-19 it will reduce the likelihood of vulnerable individuals succumbing to the coronavirus.”
The state had 1447 confirmed flu cases by Monday.
Tributes for ‘gentleman’ Frank
Resplendent in a maroon silk tie, and smiling lovingly for the camera, this is devoted Adelaide grandfather Francesco Ferraro, who has tragically become the state’s first coronavirus victim.
The northeastern suburbs grandfather, known as “Frank”, 75, of Campbelltown, lost his brave fight against COVID-19 in the Royal Adelaide Hospital’s intensive care unit late on Monday night.
He fell ill after returning from a family wedding in Melbourne last month.
His family has released to The Advertiser a smiling photograph of him at an Adelaide function in February last year as tributes continued to be paid to the “gentleman”, who had eight grandchildren, three adult children and a loving wife of 51 years.
His family have expressed their “deep sadness” and have implored South Australians to follow strict restrictions.
Five new cases of virus as airport cluster grows
South Australia recorded five new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, bringing the total to 420. New patients’ ages range from 20 to 50 years.
There are 16 people currently in hospital and seven in intensive care, one woman and six men.
Five of the ICU patients are critical. There has been one community transmission recorded and 120 patients have now recovered.
The Adelaide Airport virus cluster has grown by four cases to 33, including 18 baggage handlers and 15 secondary contacts.
Eight-six cases in Adelaide are linked to the Ruby Princess cruise ship, SA’s biggest cluster. Eighty are primary cases and six are considered to be secondary.
Health Minister Stephen Wade says there has also been a dramatic decrease in the number of influenza cases recorded in South Australia so far this year.
He said the state was yet to record its first flu death and cases were down 60 per cent compared to this time last year.
Mr Wade said it was possible social distancing and SA’s closed borders had also affected flu transmission.
‘It’s still a killer’: Virus death a stark reminder
Premier Marshall wrote to the deceased woman’s family today and passed on the state’s condolences on “another sad day”.
He said the second death underscores how devastating this disease is.
“This is very real. This is not something that has happened in Sydney or another part in the country.”
“This is not a time to be complacent, this is a nasty virus.”
Chief Public Health officer, Associate Professor Nicola Spurrier said the tragedy showed anyone could fall victim to virus.
“It does show, unfortunately what a devastating disease this virus can cause. And despite having world class intensive care facilities here, unfortunately this virus still is a killer.
“62 is certainly relatively young. As I understand it she did have some very mild health problems but that would be the same for most other 62 year-olds in our society.
“So this is a virus that doesn’t discriminate. Unfortunately you will see younger people getting very, very severe (bouts of) the disease.
Dr Spurrier said the low numbers of new infections in South Australia gave some cause for hope but said COVID-19 remained a serious threat.
“It is a very nasty virus. We still have people in South Australia who every day become new cases of this virus. And indeed become very sick and end up in our hospital and in our intensive care unit.”
The woman is among 86 SA cases linked to the now infamous Ruby Princess cruise liner.
At least 120 South Australian patients have been linked to cruise travel.
The Ruby Princess is now berthed in Wollongong as NSW homicide detectives piece together how ill passengers were allowed to leave the ship.
The Ruby Princess is linked to more than 600 of Australia’s coronavirus cases and at least 11 deaths, including today’s SA fatality.
The Ruby Princess cluster is the state’s biggest and SA Health officials say it continues to pose significant problems.
Mr Ferraro, 75, of Campbelltown, contracted the virus after attending a family wedding in Melbourne last month. He had also been in ICU.
The NSW criminal investigation will also probe cruise line operator Carnival Australia.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said this week that transparency over patient health on-board the cruise ship was a key question for the investigation.
“From my perspective there are many unanswered questions,” he said.
“There seems to be absolute discrepancies between the information provided by Carnival and what I would see is the benchmark for the laws of the federal and state government.”
He said there was clear evidence COVID-19 had come off the Ruby Princess and many deaths had resulted.
The investigation will cover the actions of the port authority, ambulance, police, the NSW Health department and Carnival Australia.
Carnival Australia has said it would co-operate with the investigation.
Don’t be complacent, SA told
Meanwhile, SA Health deputy chief public health officer Michael Cusack says many factors will play a part in determining when restrictions will be relaxed – it won’t just be dependent on how many new infections develop in the state.
“I think it’s not a single number,” he told ABC Radio Adelaidethis morning.
“Obviously … the cases from South Australia have been, for the most part, imported in from other states or overseas so I think in terms of how we manage a very flat curve, I think we will also be influenced by the sort of activity of the disease in the eastern states in particular.”
In the meantime, Dr Cusack urged people against becoming complacent.
“We do perhaps at this point see there has been some flattening of the curve but I really think it’s important that we don’t kind of start being confident too soon, or be complacent about this because, as we saw only yesterday, this virus has very serious consequences and behind all of these numbers there are individual people, lives, families, friends and so forth.”
Authorities yesterday confirmed four more COVID-19 cases had emerged in SA, bringing the total number of infections to 415.