Fifth case of coronavirus confirmed in Queensland leading to national tally of 15

There are fears hundreds of schoolchildren may have been exposed to the coronavirus after a student who should have been in isolation instead went to school.

There are concerns hundreds of schoolchildren could have been exposed to the coronavirus after a student who should have been in isolation was instead sent to school.

The year 1 student, who attends Oran Park Public School in Sydney’s south-west, had recently travelled to mainland China, 7 News reports.

The student was sent home after teachers were made aware of the trip.

In a letter to parents, the school’s principal, Donna Shevlin, said the safety of her school was top priority.

“A student who recently returned from China has attended school within the medical advice provided by the NSW Health of 14 days self-isolation for people who may have been exposed to the coronavirus,” the letter read.

“Once aware of this situation, the school immediately excluded the student from school for 14 days, with a return date of 10th February.”

There are no reports suggesting the student had the coronavirus.

Parents were informed of the incident within 24 hours.

It comes as a fifth case of the deadly coronavirus has been confirmed in Queensland, bringing the nation’s total to 15.

A 37-year-old Chinese national, who was travelling as part of a tour group in Australia, has tested positive for the virus and is in isolation at the Gold Coast University Hospital, Queensland Health said in a statement.

The state’s four other cases, including a 44-year-old man, a 42-year-old woman, a 37-year-old man and an 8-year-old boy, were travelling in the same group. All five are in a stable condition, chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said.

Queensland’s fifth case of coronavirus was confirmed at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Picture: Mike Batterham

The tour group travelled to Melbourne from Wuhan, in China’s central Hubei Province, via Singapore on January 22.

They spent five days in Melbourne before flying to the Gold Coast on Tigerair flight TT566 on January 27.

It is not clear where they went in Melbourne, but they had not felt unwell at the time.

The 44-year-old male was the first to be diagnosed with the virus on January 29.

Four others from group are now being held in isolation at the hospital.

Queensland Health is in the process of contacting other passengers who travelled on the same Tiger Airways flight.

Passengers have been advised to self-isolate in their homes or hotels and be alert for symptoms including fever, couth, sore threat, fatigue and difficulty breathing and contact a GP if necessary.

Fifteen people have now been infected with the virus in Australia, including four people in New South Wales, four in Victoria and two in South Australia.

More than 28000 people have infected globally and 563 people have died.

AUSTRALIA TO TAKE ECONOMIC HIT, MORRISON WARNS

It comes as Prime Minister Scott Morrison warns Australia could take a prolonged economic hit from the coronavirus outbreak that will compound the cost of the bushfire crisis.

Federal Treasury officials are scrambling to model a range of scenarios as coronavirus continues to spread around the world.

There is a high level of uncertainty, and the economic impacts will largely depend on efforts to contain the spread of the deadly virus, but Scott Morrison says one thing is assured.

“Clearly the global effect of all of this, let alone the domestic, will combine to put, I think, a real weight on the economy,” he said on Thursday.

“There will be an economic hit because of the coronavirus, just as there will be as a result of the bushfires.

“We expect a hit, particularly in this quarter … how much more it extends beyond that really does depend on how this virus continues to play out at a global level.”

The impact of both fires and the virus will hit Queensland particularly hard with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk warning jobs could go in the state within weeks.

The Queensland tourism industry is being bled dry by travel bans with the Cairns region alone losing $200 million in forward bookings, and exporters including seafood producers who service China losing their entire markets, she said.

“I don’t think we can wait weeks and months. I think this is something that we have to act on very, very quickly,” Ms Palaszczuk told ABC TV on Thursday.