South Australia confirms new case of COVID-19 but case may not be added to SA total
South Australia has confirmed a man who travelled to SA from Victoria has been diagnosed with COVID-19 but authorities say the case may not be added to SA’s total.
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A traveller returning home from overseas tested positive for coronavirus at Adelaide Airport, three weeks after South Australia’s last COVID-19 case, the state’s top public doctor has revealed.
SA Health revealed the man, 35, recorded a “low positive” case after flying from Victoria on Jetstar flight JQ780 on yesterday, having been allowed out of isolation days earlier.
The man, who had travelled from Pakistan, was in quarantine in a city hotel tonight after an official risk assessment cleared him of being contagious.
He is not yet counted on the state’s official virus tally of 440 cases because he was first diagnosed in Melbourne on June 6.
SA Health will look at potentially “reallocating” his case to the state’s tally, as the number of virus tests hits 130,121.
Announcing the case on the first day of border restrictions being eased, chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier said the man was not considered an active case.
“Our team feel there is no risk at all to the … public,” she said. SA’s last recorded coronavirus case was May 26.
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“As we are lifting restrictions here … it is just another gentle reminder that we still need to be very vigilant and it is not time to be complacent,” Prof Spurrier said.
“This is the reason why we are lifting the restrictions relatively slowly.”
The man developed virus symptoms of a headache and sore stomach on May 26 while visiting Pakistan.
He quarantined in Melbourne and tested positive on June 9. Victorian authorities clinically cleared him on Sunday before he flew to Adelaide yesterday.
Prof Spurrier said as he had already isolated in Victoria, he was no longer infectious, but was retested on arrival in SA.
He will now serve 14 days isolation at home. Prof Spurrier said if a patient had no symptoms for 72 hours, at least 10 days after first feeling unwell, then guidelines stated they could be released.