RAH coronavirus clinic has tested almost 100 people since opening last week; SA has seven confirmed cases
A coronavirus clinic that opened last week has already tested almost 100 people. The national death toll has risen, but SA’s four current patients remain stable.
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Nearly 100 people have been tested at a special coronavirus clinic since it opened at the Royal Adelaide Hospital on Wednesday.
SA Health confirmed that 96 people had undergone testing at the clinic, which allows patients to bypass the emergency department, greatly reducing the risk of spreading the disease.
Six South Australians are awaiting the results of testing for coronavirus.
The state’s number of verified cases remains at seven - three have recovered.
The four most recent cases, a 58-year-old man and 24-year-old woman at the RAH and a 40-year-old woman and her eight-month-old baby at Flinders Medical Centre, remain in a stable condition.
All four are in isolation in hospital and are recovering.
The national death toll has risen to three, after a Sydney man, 82, died in his aged care home.
In Hobart, a young man who tested positive ignored health advice to self-isolate and went to work at a major hotel. He had recently travelled from Nepal via Singapore.
State health officials said it was “unacceptable to continue activities in public or attend work while waiting for the coronavirus test results”.
Two Australian Defence Force members have been isolated after positive tests.
One had attended Defence headquarters in Canberra in late February. Defence said it was working to trace anyone who may have come into contact with them.
Around the country, 74 people have tested positive. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt urged anyone who had possibly come into contact with coronavirus to get themselves tested.
“Even though it can be a little bit of a stress on the (health) system, we would rather people over-test than under-test,” he said.
The Federal Government has secured an extra 54 million face masks for national medical stockpiles, expected to arrive by the end of April.
It will immediately release 260,000 masks from the federal stockpile to primary health networks, deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly said.
It is estimated that the health costs of Australia’s handling of the coronavirus situation will hit $1 billion.
The Federal Government is also urgently finalising a multi-billion-dollar stimulus plan to avert a recession, as the health crisis deepens.
Funds for local councils to build infrastructure projects, reducing deeming rates for pensioners and expanding asset write-offs for businesses are among the measures being considered, believed to be worth $5 billion to $10 billion.
Ministers in key areas including education, tourism, trade, infrastructure and agriculture are expected to take their proposals for stimulus to the expenditure review committee tomorrow.
The plan has been brought forward after talks between the International Monetary Fund and Treasury.
The Government will also be sitting down with employers and union leaders in Sydney tomorrow to discuss the impact on business.
Originally published as RAH coronavirus clinic has tested almost 100 people since opening last week; SA has seven confirmed cases