Man dies of COVID-19 at Northern Beaches Hospital

A man in his 70s believed to be a northern beaches local, has died in hospital from COVID-19. The former passenger of the Ruby Princess was one of two to die from the coronavirus yesterday in NSW.

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A man in his 70s has died from the coronavirus at Northern Beaches Hospital.

The 76-year-old, who is believed to be a peninsula local, died at a round 3pm yesterday.

The death of the man, who had been a passenger on the doomed Ruby Princess cruise ship, was confirmed by NSW Health.

A second passenger from the cruise ship, a 74-year-old woman also died at John Hunter Hospital, yesterday.

Portraits of staff at Northern Beaches Hospital in Frenchs Forest who are the frontline of the COVID-19 operation. Left to right: Matei Andrin, registered emergency nurse and Helen Meischke, registered nurse. Picture: Julian Andrews.

It takes the NSW death toll to 26, with 18 of those passengers from the Ruby Princess.

At a press conference today NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard passed on his condolences to the family of the two who died.

“When you lose a family member it changes your life forever so today to the family of those two people we all express our very, very great sympathies and our thoughts are with you,” he said.

There were also nine new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, although tests were down due to the long Easter weekend.

Northern Beaches Hospital has set up an exclusive area for people suffering from symptoms of the coronavirus. Photo: Tim Pascoe