NSW COVID numbers spike after Ruby Princess crew reclassified

Cases of coronavirus in NSW have spiked after nearly 200 infected crew members on the Ruby Princess were found to have been wrongly classified.

The 189 coronavirus cases among the crew on the embattled Ruby Princess were reclassified as Australian cases on Saturday, giving an unwelcome spike to NSW’s virus tally.

These cases will now be reported as Australian cases to the World Health Organisation (WHO) as part of international reporting obligations, and have been added to the state’s totals, bringing diagnoses in NSW up to 3405.

A statement from the NSW Department of Health explained while it had reported the cases at the time, they had not been included in NSW totals as they were on board the ship, and not in the state when they were diagnosed.

“The cases were not associated with any further transmissions in Australia as they were managed on board the cruise ship,” the statement read.

In addition to these new cases, six other cases were reported overnight, with five of them in hotel quarantine and the sixth an 18-year-old schoolboy on the central coast.

Nearly 200 infected crew members on the embattled Ruby Princess have been added to the NSW virus tally. Picture: Simon Bullard

His positive result is believed to be from a past infection, and he has not been counted as an active case.

There are 63 current COVID-19 cases being treated by NSW Health, with one patient in intensive care.

Throughout the state, 2788 people are known to have recovered from coronavirus.

The Ruby Princess is believed to be responsible for hundreds of coronavirus cases across the country, and the deaths of more than 20 passengers.

An inquiry is under way into why the ship, carrying 2700 passengers, was allowed to disembark on March 19 without proper health checks.