Coronavirus: Infected WA woman attended Beethoven performance
WA authorities are scrambling to contact people who attended a performance of Beethoven on Saturday night after a woman infected with coronavirus attended.
- Infected woman went to concert
- Vic records 12th case
- No apology for Dr Higgins
- Minister told - apologise to virus doctor
- Infected man kept working
- Canberra flights warning
- ADF members test positive
- Missy Higgins defends dad
- Third death confirmed
Hello and welcome to The Australian’s rolling coverage of the coronavirus crisis.
The number of cases in Australia have continued to increase over the weekend with the death toll rising to three, and six more cases identified overnight.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.01pm: Two new cases in NSW
NSW health confirmed another two cases of coronavirus on Sunday night, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 40.
One of the new cases, a male in his 70s, attended the St Vincent’s Hospital emergency department on March 6. The hospital is in the process of contacting patients who may have come in contact with him.
The source of his infection is under investigation with NSW Health saying he had not travelled overseas recently.
The second case is a male in his 40s. NSW Health is investigating further to determine close contacts during his infectious period. He travelled overseas recently.
NSW Health also confirmed the Ruby Princess cruise ship, which arrived in Sydney on Sunday has been assessed by the NSW Health Cruise Ship Health Surveillance team. All passengers have tested negative for COVID-19.
There are now 81 confirmed cases of the virus in Australia, including three deaths.
Paul Garvey 6.45pm: Infected woman attended music concert
Western Australian authorities are scrambling to contact people who attended an orchestral concert on Saturday night after a woman infected with coronavirus attended the performance while awaiting the results of her test.
The woman, in her 70s, developed flu-like symptoms after returning to her home in Perth’s western suburbs from a visit to Cuba and London.
She was tested for coronavirus on Friday and formally tested positive for the illness on Sunday, making her the fourth confirmed case in the state.
In the meantime, however, she had attended the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Beethoven at the Perth Concert Hall on Saturday.
WA chief health officer Andrew Robertson said the incident showed how important it was for anyone who had travelled overseas and who was showing symptoms of the virus to self-isolate.
“It’s very regrettable that she decided to do that and certainly we strongly encourage people not to do that,” Mr Robertson.
“If they’re being tested, don’t go to events or to restaurants.”
WA Health Minister Roger Cook said it was not yet clear whether the woman had been told to self-isolate after receiving the test, noting that it was possible she was not told to do so given neither England nor Cuba were on the list of countries previously considered high-risk for coronavirus.
The health department was working on Sunday to track down the people who may have sat near the woman during Saturday night’s concert.
Authorities are also concerned about the movements of another woman who tested positive for the virus in Victoria over the weekend. The woman had spent six days in Perth after arriving from Jakarta, before travelling on to Melbourne.
The state will now change its procedures in the wake of the latest diagnoses.
Now, anyone who has returned from overseas and shown symptoms of the virus will be required to self-isolate until they know the results of their test regardless of where they had come from.
“The situation with these two patients really underscores just how important it is that everyone understands that this is a community effort,” Mr Cook said.
“If you’re being tested for the coronavirus, you need to exercise some common sense and caution.”
Meanwhile Theresa Kwan - the wife of James Kwan, who died from coronavirus a week ago - has returned to health and has been released from hospital.
Their son Edwin, who had also contracted the virus while the family was aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, has also recovered and recently returned to Australia from Japan.
6.16pm: Fourth WA case confirmed
A fourth confirmed case of coronavirus had been detected in WA.
“All four cases have related to people travelling outside the state,” Premier Mark McGowan said in Facebook post.
“There has been no community spread in WA to date. In addition, one patient who was in a stable condition in hospital with coronavirus, has today been discharged. The other two active cases are in home isolation and in a stable condition.”
There are reports that the woman, aged in her 70s, attended a WA Symphony Orchestra performance on Saturday night attended by hundreds of people.
Rebecca Urban 4.45pm: Vic records 12th case
Victorian health officials have confirmed another case of coronavirus - the state’s 12th - with a woman in her 50s visiting from Jakarta testing for the illness.
The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services has issued a statement confirming that the woman, who flew from Jakarta to Melbourne via Perth, developed symptoms on February 29.
“She arrived in Melbourne from Perth on Virgin Airlines flight VA682 on Monday 2 March and saw a GP in Melbourne on Friday 6 March who ordered a COVID-19 test,” the statement says.
“She was confirmed positive last night following a series of tests.
“The case is now well and in home-isolation, being cared for by family members.”
It is understood that while in Melbourne the woman visited the Pho Hung Vuong 2 Vietnamese Restaurant in Richmond on March 6 between 6pm and 7pm.
“Anyone who was at Pho Hung Vuong 2 Vietnamese Restaurant during the above times should be aware of the symptoms of COVID-19 and should contact the Department on 1300 651 160 for advice,” the department says.
“There is no ongoing risk for patrons of the restaurant.”
The Department of Health and Human Services is contacting people on Virgin Airlines flight VA682.
Confirmation of the state’s 12th case of COVID-19 comes after Toorak GP Chris Higgins tested positive, having consulted with about 70 patients.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 4.20pm: No apology for Dr Higgins
Victoria’s health minister is refusing to bow to pressure to apologise for comments slamming a doctor who went to work while exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19.
Dr Chris Higgins, the father of singer Missy Higgins, tested positive to the infection after he had treated more than 70 patients while having what he thought was a mild cold.
Health Minister Jenny Mikakos has been criticised over her comments on Saturday that she was “flabbergasted” a doctor with flu-like symptoms continued to treat patients.
Both the AMA and Dr Higgins have demanded an apology from Ms Mikakos, with Dr Higgins writing online that he was “upset about the inaccuracies and unfairness of your comments”.
“I hesitated to do a swab because I did not fulfil your criteria for testing but did one anyway on Thursday evening for sake of completeness, not imagining for one moment it would turn out to be positive,” he wrote.
“I believe you have taken a cheap opportunity for political grandstanding and would appreciate an apology.”
Ms Mikakos did not apologise and said on Sunday that healthcare workers should not be taking chances.
“All workers in the healthcare system do an incredible job caring for Victorians and we understand the pressure they can feel to turn up to work when they are feeling unwell,” she said in a statement.
“But let me be very clear: these are exceptional circumstances. We are still in the containment phase of what will likely be a pandemic. So to protect the public and healthcare workers, we can’t take any chances.
“And all of us have a responsibility to do what we can to prevent the spread of this virus.”
4.00pm: Four dead in quarantine hotel collapse
Four people have died in the collapse of a hotel in the Chinese city of Quanzhou that was being used to quarantine individuals under observation for the coronavirus.
The hotel began to collapse on Saturday evening. As of 10:30 am Beijing time on Sunday, authorities had retrieved 42 individuals from the site, the Ministry of Emergency Management said.
Of that total, four have been confirmed dead, four have severe injuries, and one remains in critical condition, it said.
Read the full story here.
AFP
Lachlan Moffet Gray 3.40pm: Telehealth set up soonest
AMA president Dr Tony Bartone has said that telehealth conferencing for GPs and potential coronavirus victims will be as ready “as soon as possible” and called for the government to commit to an enhanced public information campaign.
“The decision is being fine-tuned at the moment in terms of the details and underlying logistics, but this (telehealth conferencing ) is clearly a very, very clever way, an innovative way of utilising the scarce resources, of utilising the available network of the medical profession and also to minimise the movement of patients.”
Dr Bartone also implied that the government should subsidise the service when questioned about the issue by a journalist.
“I think it is extremely important to assist with the timely and indeed the effective management of a population that is clearly worried, clearly anxious,” he said.
“But it needs to be a part of many other measures, including a much, much more robust and upscaled information campaign to the community about the importance of washing hands, about the importance of appropriate coughing and what to do if you have symptoms.”
Lachlan Moffet Gray 3.30pm: Minister told: apologise to virus doctor
The AMA has reiterated its support for Dr Chris Higgins after he continued to treat patients while exhibiting symptoms of coronavirus, calling statements made by Victorian health minister Jenny Mikakos that condemned his actions as “unhelpful” and urged her to apologise.
Dr Chris Higgins, father of singer Missy Higgins, was revealed to have coronavirus on Saturday, less than a week after returning from the US, forcing the closure of the Toorak clinic where he worked and the self-isolation of his patients.
Ms Mikakos subsequently called Dr Higgins irresponsible for continuing to work, despite his light symptoms not meeting the threshold for an immediate swab test.
Speaking to reporters in Melbourne today, Australian Medical Association president Dr Tony Bartone said that Dr Higgins acted “in good faith.”
“He made a decision to test himself even though - even though - at the time the guidelines did not require him to be tested...those guidelines did not require anyone returning from the USA to be tested,” he said.
“I believe an apology is appropriate in the circumstances...it was really quite unhelpful what the minister said yesterday.”
Dr Bartone said that GPs could not stop work if experiencing mild symptoms like a “runny nose” as they will be needed to treat an expected influx of potential COVID-19 patients.
“If we have a proportion of the GP population staying away from work, the flow on effect would be significant. Understanding that already we have emergency departments and outpatients that are clearly over stretched, we need to ensure we manage the frontline risk.”
Lachlan Moffet Gray 2.30pm: Infected man kept working at hotel
A young man in Hobart who has tested positive to coronavirus ignored health advice to self-isolate and worked at a major hotel in the city. The student, aged in his 20s, arrived in Hobart on February 26 after travelling from Nepal and Singapore and suffered cold-like symptoms in the days following.
He was tested on Friday and advised to self-quarantine while awaiting results but didn’t comply and worked at Hobart’s Grand Chancellor Hotel. A test result returned a positive reading for coronavirus late on Saturday. Health authorities are working with the hotel to determine whether any of the man’s colleagues had “close contract” with him and require isolation. He also worked several shifts at the hotel last week and twice briefly attended the Australian Ideal College.
“It is unacceptable to continue activities in public or attend work while waiting for the coronavirus virus test results,” state Public Health Director Dr Mark Veitch said.
The man is in isolation at the Royal Hobart Hospital in a “satisfactory” condition, the health department says.
He is the second case of the virus in Tasmania, after a 40-year-old man tested positive in Launceston on Monday.
Four members of his household and three friends have been quarantined for two weeks.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 1.40pm: Cruise ship barred from Bali
A cruise ship and its passengers have been turned away from Bali at the last minute as fears over coronavirus on the Indonesian island grow.
The MV Viking Sun cruise ship was turned away from docking at East Java on Friday after the mayor of port town Surabaya received reports of two passengers suffering from colds and a fever.
Bali was set to receive the ship and its 1395 passengers and crew, which has previously visited New Caledonia and Australia, but governor I Wayan Koster reversed the decision, citing public health concerns.
“As the best tourist destination in the world, we are very prone to health issues. Thus, we have to be careful,” Mr Koster said.
Australians comprise the 800 tourists aboard the cruise, though it is not yet known exactly how many.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 1.30pm: Loo paper rationed to one pack
Supermarket giant Coles has placed further limits on the amount of toilet paper an individual can buy, announcing on Sunday that shoppers can now only purchase one pack per transaction.
Despite calls for calm from senior political and medical figures and a four pack per person limit being imposed on Thursday, the retailer said panic buying of the necessity continued.
We are now limiting purchases to one pack per transaction, both in-store and online,” the statement said.
“Our suppliers have increased production and we are making additional deliveries to stores, while our team members work hard to restock shelves in stores.
“The vast majority of products in our stores and via Coles online remain available for customers.
“This additional measure will allow us to maintain stock levels in stores so more customers will be able to purchase the products they need.”
Had an intense conversation at south coast IGA today after I joked about toilet paper and staff member assumed I was a local - always a compliment - and whispered they were HOLDING it while all the Canberrans were down coast and would put out the good gear after long weekend 𤣠https://t.co/uPRvtGMCAf
— ð¤ððððð¥ðð ðððððð (@samanthamaiden) March 8, 2020
Lachlan Moffet Gray 1.20pm: Warning over Canberra flights
NSW Health is asking people who flew on one of two flights from Sydney to Canberra to self-isolate as they may have come into contact with a person infected with coronavirus.
Passengers seated in rows 2-6 on flight Qantas’ QF1509 or rows 3-7 on Virgin flight VA651 from Sydney to Canberra on Feb 28 have been told to go into quarantine.
“Anyone else travelling on these flights in other rows are not considered to be close contacts and should monitor their health until 13 March and to contact their GP for assessment and testing if they develop any symptoms,” NSW Health said on Saturday.
It is believed the infected people may be members of the ADF who have been confirmed to have the virus.
1.00pm: Trump ‘not concerned’ at infection risk
Donald Trump says he isn’t concerned “at all” about the coronavirus getting closer to the White House after the nation’s capital reported its first case Saturday.
Maryland officials warned on Saturday that a person who attended the recent Conservative Political Action Conference in the suburb of Oxon Hill had tested positive for the virus. Both Mr Trump and Vice President Mike Pence spoke at the conference. The White House said Saturday there was no indication that either had met or were in “close proximity” to the infected attendee. Asked if he was concerned about the virus getting closer, Trump said: “No, I’m not concerned at all. No, I’m not. We’ve done a great job.” When asked whether his thousand person campaign rallies would would continue in light of the CPAC case, the president replied, “We’ll have tremendous rallies.” Trump held his most recent campaign rally last Monday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
AAP
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.45pm: BaptistCare ‘saddened’ at deaths
BaptistCare has released a statement expressing condolences over the death of Dorothy Henderson Lodge’s second resident to succumb to coronavirus but says there are no further cases at the old age care facility.
“We are extremely saddened to report the passing overnight of an 82 year old resident of Dorothy Henderson Lodge, who was hospitalised on 1 March with respiratory illness that was later diagnosed as COVID-19,” the statement reads.
“The resident who passed away was one of the cases previously diagnosed at Dorothy Henderson Lodge.
“There are currently 0 new cases of COVID-19 at Dorothy Henderson Lodge. Daily reviews of infection control procedures continue to be in place.
“The residents and staff at Dorothy Henderson Lodge aged care centre continue to be our number one priority as we work closely with NSW Health.”
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.30pm: Telehealth services set for delivery
Greg Hunt has revealed that telehealth services, allowing for remote sessions between patients and GPs, are currently being “designed” and will be delivered by the end of the week.
Mr Hunt refused to comment on whether the government was looking at increasing Newstart in the event casual workers are forced to self-isolate if diagnosed with COVID-19 but did say industrial relations minister Christian Porter will convene a national roundtable on Tuesday in Sydney featuring “employers, employees, unions and government” to discuss “all the things that are necessary and appropriate to keep our workforce going.”
Mr Hunt also refused to condemn Victorian health minister Jenny Mikakos for making comments that implied Victorian Dr Chris Higgins, father of singer Missy Higgins, was irresponsible for treating patients while exhibiting minor coronavirus symptoms, and later being diagnosed with the disease.
“I’m not criticising anybody...My view, my approach is for us to come together and to remind people that over the coming weeks and months, we will all be connected in some way, shape or form to people who contract the virus,” he said.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.20pm: Hunt confirms extra 54m masks
Greg Hunt has re-iterated that the government was throwing its weight behind frontline healthcare workers, telling reporters the government had acquired 54 million medical masks for “our magnificent health and medical service workers” and that an additional 260,000 masks were being made available for distribution before the 54 million masks arrive in April.
The move was praised by Australian Dental Association President Dr Carmelo Bonanno who told reporters that the move has saved some dental practices from closure.
“Without this additional supply of masks, there would be many practices who would be facing imminent closure in the next few weeks,” he said.
“Thanks to this, what this means is that the Australian public will be able to continue to receive dental services, and an added benefit of that is that there won’t be an additional burden on medical practices and hospital emergency departments.”
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.15pm: Two ADF members test positive
Greg Hunt has revealed that two Australian Defence Force personnel are among the 74 current confirmed cases of coronavirus.
“The ADF has put out a statement shortly before I came here, which indicates that not only two personnel have been affected, but they have made sure that everybody who was in contact with them has been self-isolated and then they’ll be subject to testing,” the federal health minister told reporters in Frankston on Sunday.
The ADF’s statement says “Defence is cooperating with NSW and ACT health authorities to contact, isolate, test and support persons involved with the two officers”, who travelled to a meeting at Defence Headquarters in Russell, ACT on February 28.
Mr Hunt also urged calm, telling the public “this is the time to be our best selves and let our better angels prevail.”
“There have been some things which have occured in recent days which have not been our best selves.”
12.10pm: Aussies shares face another fall
Australian equities are set to again bathe in red ink as the potential impact of coronavirus sends jitters through the local and global economy.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 closed Friday down 179.5 points, or 2.8 per cent, at 6,216.2, its lowest level since May 14. The index has lost 13.6 per cent of its value in just 11-and-a-half days of turbulent trading.
AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver says Australian futures trading indicated the ASX200 would fall an additional 1.5 per cent at Monday’s open. He says the Australian market would likely remain in freefall while coronavirus fears continue to disrupt economic activity and spending.
AAP
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.00pm: How the world is reacting
Governments around the world are scrambling to contain or manage the outbreak of COVID-19 in their respective countries as the number of cases worldwide surges past 100,000 and the number of deaths, 3,400.
In the US, Vice President Mike Pence has announced enhanced entry and exit screening for cruise passengers as well as on-board testing regimes. The new rules come as it was revealed a guest at the Conservitive Political Action Conference (CPAC) last week has been diagnosed with the virus, where both Pence and President Trump were present.
The American Conservative Union says the infected man did not come into contact with the President or Vice President.
The US has confirmed at least 400 cases of COVID-19 as of Sunday morning, leading New York City to declare a state of emergency. 19 people have died from the disease.
France’s number of diagnosed cases is closing in on 1000, having jumped by 336 on Saturday. There have been 16 deaths, the country’s general director of health confirmed on Sunday morning. The illness has reached the country’s legislative arm, with two members of the French National Assembly testing positive for COVID-19.
In its daily update, Italy’s civil protection agency said the number of people with the coronavirus rose by 1,247 in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 5,883. Another 36 people also died as a result of the virus, taking the total to 233.
Officials said people in intensive care with ailments other than coronavirus in the hardest-hit region of Lombardy would be transferred to neighboring regions, all of which have greater availability.
Spain has deployed police in a northern town to help enforce a home quarantine placed on a neighborhood with a high number of residents infected by the coronavirus.
The regional government of La Rioja said Saturday that the extra measures have been taken to contain the outbreak in Haro, a town of 11,000 residents, where the majority of the 39 cases in the region are located.
Regional authorities warn that breaking the quarantine is punishable by fines of 3,000-600,000 euros ($3,380-$677,000). Eight people have died from the virus in Spain and infected over 400.
Iran says 21 more people have died from the coronavirus, raising the country’s death toll to 145. More than 1,000 infections were also confirmed overnight, bringing the country’s total to 5,823 cases.
In Egypt, a Nile cruise ship has been quarantined in the city of Luxor as 45 people on board were diagnosed with the illness.
UPDATE on coronavirus (#COVID19) testing in the UK:
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) March 7, 2020
As of 7am 7 March 2020, a total of 21,460 people have been tested:
21,254 negative.
206 positive.
Two patients who tested positive for coronavirus have sadly died.
For latest information:
â¡ï¸ https://t.co/e1hwL62CDI pic.twitter.com/PXZwab39uR
In the UK, 206 cases have been confirmed and two deaths recorded. The latest fatality is a man in his early 80s who tested positive for the virus and had underlying health conditions. He died Thursday while being treated at Milton Keynes University Hospital.
South Korea reported hundreds of new cases on Saturday, pushing the total number of cases in the country above 7000.
South America has recorded its first coronavirus-related death with Argentine authorities reporting a 64-year-old Buenos Aires man died in hospital on Saturday.
The WHO says COVID-19 is present in 92 countries and territories.
With AAP
Remy Varga 11.45am: Missy Higgins defends dad
Australian singer Missy Higgins has come out in support of her doctor father after he was criticised by Victoria’s health minister for possibly exposing 70 patients in east Melbourne to the coronavirus.
Jenny Mikakos said she was “flabbergasted” by Dr Chris Higgins’ decision to return to work at a clinic in Toorak after experiencing mild flu-like symptoms.
But Dr Higgins rebuked the Health Minister’s criticism as “political grandstanding”, saying he took the test for the coronavirus despite not fulfilling the “criteria for testing.”
“I had a mild cold when I returned from the USA last Saturday morning which had almost resolved itself by Monday morning, hence my decision to return to work,” he wrote on Ms Mikakos’ Facebook page.
On Sunday, Missy Higgins shared an article in which her dad calls for an apology from the Health Minister with the caption: “Love you Dad x”.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 11.30am: Doctors petition for Chris Higgins
Outraged colleagues of Dr Chris Higgins, father of singer Missy Higgins, are circulating an online petition demanding Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos apologise for implying the medical worker was “irresponsible” for continuing to treat patients while exhibiting symptoms of coronavirus, which he was diagnosed with on Saturday.
On Saturday, Ms Mikakos said she was “flabbergasted” a doctor with flu like symptoms would continue to treat patients.
Dr Higgins wrote in response that he was “upset about the inaccuracies and unfairness of your comments” as he exhibited only mild symptoms and did not meet the full criteria for having to complete a coronavirus swab test.
The petition, started by Dr Cheryl Choong, said the minister should apologise for her “flippant remark” as it “shows a complete disrespect and lack of understanding of the pressures that our primary health care providers and hospital staff face every day.”
“As reported, the GP had returned from the USA, which at the time was not considered an at-risk country; his symptom of a “runny nose” is a non-specific symptom which in itself is not on the government’s symptom list for SARS-Cov2 virus,” Dr Choong wrote.
“If he had contacted his local public health unit for advice, he would have been told to self-monitor and to present for testing only if he went on to develop further symptoms.”
“I hope Ms Mikakos realizes what an unfair statement she has made, and how cruel she has been to a person who set out to work as a doctor in service to his community as best as he could.”
MP Jenny Mikakos: A formal apology for Dr Chris Higgins, improved transparency and support regarding covid19 - Sign the Petition! https://t.co/pn9OkYgku4 via @ChangeAUS
— Dr Laura Chapman (@Dr_LauraChapman) March 8, 2020
Lachlan Moffet Gray 11.10am: New case in Queensland
Queensland has confirmed another case of coronavirus, bringing the number of cases in the state to 15.
The new case - a 38-year-old woman from the Gympie region - recently travelled from London through Dubai.
Queensland Health is in the process of tracing who the woman has had close contact with and will update the community if necessary.
The woman has been transferred to an isolation room in the Sunshine Coast University Hospital and is in a stable condition.
There are now 77 confirmed cases of the virus in Australia, including three deaths.
Totals
NSW: 38
QLD: 15
VIC: 11
TAS: 2
NT: 1
WA: 3
SA: 7
Total: 77 cases in Australia, including three deaths.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 11.00am: Charges over Woolies brawl
two NSW women who went viral around the world after being recorded fighting over toilet paper inside a supermarket in south west Sydney have been charged by police.
On Sunday morning, a spokesperson for NSW said the two women, aged 23 and 60 and both from Bankstown, have been issued court attendance notices for affray.
The incident has been criticised by NSW police.
“It’s not the Thunderdome, it’s not Mad Max, you don’t need to be doing that” Bankstown Police Area Command Duty Officer, Acting Inspector Andrew New said on Saturday.
The women are due to appear at Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday 28 April 2020.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 10.05am: Third death confirmed
A NSW man in his 80s who contracted coronavirus in a Sydney aged care facility last Wednesday has died, taking Australia’s COVID-19 toll to three.
The 82-year-old was confirmed to have been infected from an aged care worker in her 50s last Wednesday at BaptistCare’s Dorothy Henderson Lodge in Macquarie Park.
He died overnight in hospital, NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said on Sunday morning.
The man’s death follows the death of a 95-year-old woman who was a fellow resident of the Dorothy Henderson Lodge and 78-year-old James Kwan, who died in hospital in Perth last weekend after contracting the disease on the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship.
Australia has had 76 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including the three dead.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 10.00am: Epping High to reopen
Epping Boys’ High School will reopen Monday following its closure on Friday after a 16-year-old boy in year 11 was diagnosed with coronavirus.
The boy is the son of a Ryde Hospital employee who was a close contact of the 53-year-old male doctor who was diagnosed with the virus last week.
Students and staff who have been identified as close contacts of the boy have been asked to remain home.
The school will be cleaned before classes resume on Monday.
9,50am: China quarantine hotel collapses
More than 40 people have been rescued following the collapse of a hotel used as a coronavirus quarantine facility in eastern China on Saturday, state media reported.
Officials said around 70 people were initially trapped when the building first crumbled.
Read the article in full here
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.40am: Five new cases overnight
One of the four new NSW cases is a female health care worker at Ryde hospital in her 30s who is a contact from a previously confirmed case from an aged care facility while another is a male in his sixties who recently returned from Italy.
The other two individuals, a man in his 40s and a woman in her 50s, are contacts of previously diagnosed cases.
A new case has also been identified in Tasmania.
Totals so far:
NSW: 38
QLD: 14
VIC: 11
TAS: 2
NT: 1
WA: 3
SA: 7
Total: 76 cases in Australia.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.35am: Government secures 54m additional masks
The federal government is expected to finalise its $5 billion economic stimulus response package today.
The government has also secured 54 million additional face masks for the nation’s medical stockpile, ensuring frontline health workers will have sufficient access to the protective gear.
”We are grateful for the role of our frontline workers and recognise the need to continue to protect them and support the response,” federal health minister Greg Hunt said.
Meanwhile, four more Australians have been diagnosed with the virus onboard the Grand Princess cruise ship which is moored off the coast of California, bringing the total number of infected passengers to 21.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.30am: Virus doctor demands apology
The Melbourne doctor singled out by Victorian health authorities for treating patients while infected with coronavirus has accused the Health Minister of grandstanding over his diagnosis
Dr Chris Higgins, father of singer-songwriter Missy Higgins was criticised by Victorian health minister Jenny Mikakos for treating 70 patients at the Toorak Clinic in Melbourne during the week while exhibiting symptoms of coronavirus.
“I’m absolutely flabbergasted that a doctor who has experienced flu-like symptoms has presented to work,” Ms Mikakos said on Saturday.
On Saturday night Dr Higgins rebuked Ms Mikakos’s criticisms, posting on her facebook page that he was “upset about the inaccuracies and unfairness” of her criticisms and that he undertook a coronavirus swab test despite not fulfilling the “criteria for testing.”
“I had a mild cold when I returned from the USA last Saturday morning which had almost resolved itself by Monday morning, hence my decision to return to work,” he wrote.
“I believe you have taken a cheap opportunity for political grandstanding and appreciate an apology.”
Dr Higgins’s patients and staff have been required to self-isolate, as have two patients he visited in Malvern’s Mecwacare nursing home. The Toorak Clinic has been temporarily closed.
Jacquelin Magnay 9.25am: Italy to quarantine millions
Italy is preparing to quarantine more than 10 million people around the financial capital Milan and the tourist mecca Venice for nearly a month to halt the spread of the new coronavirus.
A draft government decree published by Italy’s Corriere Della Sera newspaper and other media said movement into and out of the regions would be severely restricted until April 3.
It was not clear from either the decree or the reports as to when the measure would go into effect.
Corriere Della Sera said it was “imminent” – and that those who violated the measures could be jailed.
Italy, with a population of 60 million people, has recorded 233 deaths and 5,883 infections in the past two 7 weeks.
The virus has now spread to all 22 Italian regions and the first deaths are being recorded in Italy’s less well medically equipped south.
The World Health Organization urged the country on Friday to keep “a strong focus on containment measures”.
Read the full story here.