Fifth case of coronavirus confirmed in Australia as 10 people are investigated

Health officials have confirmed that a fifth case of the deadly coronavirus has been diagnosed in Australia, in a 21-year-old Chinese student.

A fifth case of the deadly coronavirus has been confirmed in Australia, with a 21-year-old Chinese student diagnosed.

The woman travelled on a direct flight from Wuhan to Sydney on January 22 and presented herself to hospital when she noticed symptoms.

The University of NSW confirmed the woman had been staying in student accommodation but had kept herself isolated.

“The student did not attend any classes at the university and stayed on her own in campus accommodation with no close contact before she was admitted to hospital,” a university spokeswoman said.

There are fears for another 10 people with six cases being investigated in NSW and four in Western Australia.

Four people in Queensland who were being tested have been given the all clear.

Officials are contacting four people in Queensland who had been on the same flight as a Victorian patient who tested positive.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said that the increased number of suspected cases was concerning.

“But we will approach it in the same way that we have approached each of the other cases and make sure that each of the potential patients are in isolation,” he said.

WA chief health officer Andrew Robertson said all of the four adults being tested in the state met specific travel criteria.

“The risk to the Western Australian community remains low,” he said.

Providing an update after the fifth case was confirmed, Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said there was still no evidence of human-to-human transmission outside of China’s Hubei province.

“We have no evidence there’s a risk to the Australian public,” he said.

“There’s no human-to-human transmission that’s been identified in this country.”

Prof Murphy said he had convened with the Australian health protection principle committee, which had been looking at the data.

“I think the concern is the number of cases outside the Hubei province in China, and that’s why we are starting to look at people who have come from parts of China other than Hubei, as potentially as risk,” he said.

“The important thing is that everyone who comes from China is aware of the risk.”

RELATED: Virus death toll suddenly spikes

RELATED: Signs of killer virus to watch for

RELATED: How to avoid contracting coronavirus

RELATED: Another case of coronavirus expected

Authorities are now working to track down the people she has been in contact with.

Australian health authorities have warned more cases are likely to emerge in the coming days.

Three patients in NSW and one in Victoria have already been diagnosed with the virus following an outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Three men aged 35, 43, and 53 are being treated in a Sydney hospital but have been listed as being stable.

All had been in contact with a confirmed case.

One person did not go to Wuhan but was a contact of a confirmed case in another province in China.

A young female Chinese student is likely to be the fifth person in Australia to contract the deadly coronavirus, health authorities say. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP)

In Victoria, a man in his 50s is being treated at Monash Medical Centre while four of his family members are being quarantined at home.

Prof Murphy said he had sent a letter to every GP in Australia, asking them to consider any recent arrival from Wuhan with flu-like symptoms a potential coronavirus case.

“They will probably turn out to be negative, but they should be treated that way, isolated and then referred to the nearest emergency department with calling ahead,” Dr Murphy told ABC TV today.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne said there had been more than 380 calls to the consular emergency line, related to Australians in China but it was unclear how many there were.

“We’re treating this situation with the utmost seriousness,” she said.

“I absolutely understand the emotion and the concern that many Australians have about family members who are currently in this region in China. It is an extremely stressful experience for them.”

More than 2300 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide, most in China, while 80 people have died.

China’s National Health Commission says the incubation period for the virus can range from one-to-14 days, during which infection can occur.

It comes as Australian authorities are probing the possibility of repatriating more than 100 children from coronavirus-hit Wuhan.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt today said more than 100 young Australians are in Wuhan, which has been locked down by Chinese authorities. The government is working to extract those children from the city.

But Mr Hunt said the government would not yet suspend flights from China, nor screen every passenger on board.

“Every flight is being met by officials, and officials I’m advised, will be boarding the flights and ensuring each individual who has travelled on those flights is directly receiving information,” Mr Hunt told the ABC. “We’re working to make sure there’s support for those (100) Australians and we are also working, as are other countries, to secure their ability to return.”

Australian authorities are probing the possibility of repatriating more than 100 children from coronavirus-hit Wuhan. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP)

Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said closing Australia’s borders due to coronavirus “would be a very significant step”.

It needs to be established how Australians would be evacuated and whether they need to be quarantined upon their return, Ms Payne said.

“We don’t have a definitive number on the number of Australians in Wuhan or in Hubei province because it will include a significant number of dual nationals, some of whom may not have travelled on Australian passports, they’ve travelled on Chinese passports for example,” she told 3AW on Monday.