Coronavirus: UNSW student confirmed as fifth Australian case
A Sydney university student who escaped China's virus capital of Wuhan on the last flight to Sydney has been diagnosed with the deadly new coronavirus.
NSW
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A University of NSW student is in insolation at a Sydney hospital after test results confirmed she had contracted coronavirus after returning to Australia from Wuhan last week.
The 21-year-old woman is the fifth person diagnosed with the illness in Australia and after self-isolating in the University of NSW student accommodation, she is now being treated at Westmead Hospital.
A family of four was also rushed there with symptoms on Monday by paramedics wearing protective clothing.
The student confirmed to have the virus returned to Sydney on China Eastern flight MU749 on January 23.
China dramatically revised up the virus death toll to 80 from 56, with more than 2750 cases across the country with the majority who have fallen ill in Wuhan. Another 1000 people are suspected to have the virus. A nine-month-old baby is the youngest to have been infected in China.
All passengers on the same flight as the 21-year-old from Sydney are being contacted by health authorities, while parents of children exposed to coronavirus have been ordered to keep them home from school or daycare for at least 14 days.
Australia’s chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said one person tested in Perth on Monday “may be positive”.
“There’s people tested every day and there will be more that turn out to be positive,” he said.
Five people in NSW were being tested for the virus overnight.
UNSW on Monday contacted students and staff to inform them the student had been struck down.
“NSW Health has advised that the student adhered to their advice and precautions since arriving from Wuhan,” the email said.
“The student did not attend any classes at the University and stayed on her own in campus accommodation with no close contact before she was admitted to hospital.”
NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant praised the woman for following health advice and said staff have retraced the steps of every confirmed coronavirus case to ensure anyone potentially at risk is contacted.
“It is important that we don’t create a sense that there is unsafeness in any of the suburbs where we have a preponderance of the Chinese community,” she said.
However, Dr Chant said any child who has been exposed to coronavirus must not attend school or childcare for 14 days after the last contact with the infected person.
“After this time the child is considered to be not be at risk of infection,” she said.
Three men in NSW and one man in Victoria have tested positive for the virus.
Meanwhile hundreds of Australians trapped in China due to a travel ban in the province of Hubei, where the deadly virus jumped from animals to humans, are still waiting to hear if there is any chance of evacuation.
Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Marise Payne said health authorities were considering how they could minimise “any possibility of contracting coronavirus” if an evacuation took place, but would not give any detail about potential plans.
“It’s very complex. It’s unwise to speculate about the length of time it will take to address this issue,” she said.
Ms Payne confirmed more than 385 calls had been made to an emergency consular line for Australians to report they or a family member were in the region.
Canberra resident Helen Chen is currently stuck in Wuhan after she returned home to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Marise Payne said health authorities were considering how they could minimise “any possibility of contracting coronavirus” if an evacuation took place, but would not give any detail about potential plans.
The ANU student said her family’s fridges were “fully stocked” but she was unsure what they would do when they ran out of food.
“My parents just came back from the supermarket and many shelves are empty,” she said.
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