77-year-old Sunshine Coast woman dies after contracting coronavirus

A Sunshine Coast woman has died from novel coronavirus after flying to Sydney in Queensland’s first coronavirus fatality, as the state’s total number of cases spiked to 61.

A SUNSHINE Coast woman has died from novel coronavirus after flying to Sydney in Queensland’s first coronavirus fatality as the state recorded its biggest jump in cases to date.

The 77-year-old woman from Noosaville was on a flight to Sydney on Friday when her condition deteriorated significantly.

She was rushed to hospital immediately on landing but could not be revived.

Authorities, who did not know the woman had COVID-19 at the time of her death, confirmed she was infected yesterday as frantic contract tracing to track down others on her flight began.

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Her flight number has not been made public.

It’s believed the woman had likely contracted the virus from her daughter, who had recently returned from San Francisco and had not been diagnosed with it either.

It’s understood the 77-year-old had an underlying medical condition.

Health Minister Steven Miles said he was saddened by the news.

“I’d like to offer my condolences to the family and friends of this woman,” Mr Miles said.

“It’s a stark reminder of how serious coronavirus is. We all have a role to play in protecting vulnerable people in our community.”

News of the death came as Queensland confirmed another 15 new cases of novel coronavirus to take the total to 61, most of them in the southeast and most of them still traced to overseas transmission.

One of them — a 69-year-old-man from Townsville — is being managed by New Zealand authorities after he flew to the country despite having been tested for the virus less than 24 hours before his flight.

Health Minister Steven Miles expressed his condolences to the woman’s family. Picture: Richard Gosling/AAP

Another case was that of an eight-year-old girl being managed on the Gold Coast.

Not all cases are now being treated in hospital, with only the worst cases now being hospitalised.

Queensland’s Chief Medical Officer Jeannette Young said the vast majority of people were getting a mild disease.

But she implored sick people to stay home to protect the most vulnerable.

Meanwhile, a Qantas International crew member is in self isolation after testing positive to coronavirus.

The crew member flew from the UK to Australia as a passenger recently and sought medical advice after experiencing mild symptoms.

Health authorities will make contact with those seating in proximity on the flight as is standard procedure for all confirmed coronavirus notifications.

The team member was not symptomatic when operating as crew on any Qantas flights.

The crew member remains in good spirits.

Originally published as 77-year-old Sunshine Coast woman dies after contracting coronavirus