Two people suspected of having coronavirus cleared in NSW, four others being tested in hospital

Two people suspected of having the deadly coronavirus have been cleared while four others in two Australian states are undergoing tests.

Two people in New South Wales suspected of having contracted the deadly novel coronavirus have been cleared.

NSW Health on Friday afternoon confirmed two other cases remain under investigation.

In Queensland, two more people have also been quarantined and were being tested today.

NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant earlier on Friday said there are no confirmed cases and none of those tested were linked to the plane that landed in Sydney from Wuhan, China on Thursday.

She said the four people tested in NSW were detected “in a variety of Sydney hospitals”.

“We do have a process of making sure while they are waiting for test results, they are in isolation. They do not pose any risk of transmission,” she said.

They not have their personal details, or the locations they’re being treated in revealed for privacy reasons, a spokesperson from NSW Health said in a statement.

“We will update the public immediately of any confirmed cases and need to disclose a person’s movements,” the spokesperson said.

The news comes after a spokesperson from NSW Health had confirmed that a person in NSW was yesterday placed into quarantine in hospital in Sydney to undergo testing for the virus.

The individual, whose identity, age, and gender also have not been revealed, was not on the flight from Wuhan, considered the epicentre of the virus. It’s not clear if they arrived in Sydney on a previous flight or had been living locally before becoming unwell.

As the flight touched down yesterday, passengers and crew wore face masks, and those who flagged concerns about their health had their temperature taken.

Two people in Queensland are also being tested for the deadly coronavirus, health authorities have said, according to AAP.

Four others have been tested and cleared, Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said today.

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No unwell passengers were found on the flight. Picture: Don Arnold/Getty

The man responsible for Australia’s borders has defended the national response to the coronavirus.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has been questioned about whether Australia is doing enough to guard against a potential pandemic of the deadly disease.

“We have the world’s best protocols in place,” Mr Dutton told the Nine Network on Friday.

“I think people should recognise that in a country like ours, the health services are the best prepared, best able to respond, and they can quarantine people very quickly.”

Doctors and nurses experienced in infection control were at the airport working alongside the Australian Border Force. Virology experts were also there.

No unwell passengers were found on the flight. However, those exposed to the virus may not display flu-like symptoms for up to a week.

Crossbench senator Rex Patrick questioned why only flights from Wuhan were being screened by biosecurity staff.

“More than 40 direct China flights will arrive in Australia today,” Senator Patrick said on Friday.

“Why aren’t all direct flights being screened?”

— with AAP