Live coverage of Australia's coronavirus outbreak

Australia’s coronavirus crisis could see up to 20 per cent of people in NSW alone infected, equating to 1.2 million people with 80,000 needing hospitalisation.

Coronavirus cases in Australia have spiked today with 12 new cases confirmed in NSW overnight, bringing the nation's total to almost 150.

 

A disturbing number of new cases have emerged in NSW with no identifiable source of transmission.

Elsewhere in the nation, it's understood an Australian who's been diagnosed with the coronavirus went to a Melbourne festival attended by over 12,000 people.

Grattan Institute's chief executive John Daley called for Scott Morrison to follow Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore by introducing radical social distancing measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, including  closing borders, shutting schools and universities and cancelling mass events.

Australia has almost 150 cases, with 77 in New South Wales, 25 in Victoria, 20 in Queensland, 9 in both Western Australia and South Australia, 3 in Tasmania, one in the Northern Territory, one in the ACT and 10 on the Diamond Princess.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has now declared the global crisis a pandemic, saying it is "deeply concerned" by the alarming levels of spread, severity and inaction.

We've finished our live coverage for the day, here's the latest updates below. 

Originally published as Live coverage of Australia's coronavirus outbreak