Coronavirus: Chinese women’s soccer team isolated in Brisbane; first Queensland case

A Chinese man on the Gold Coast has been confirmed as the first person in Queensland to test positive to coronavirus.

A fully protected nurse walks a patient off the ambulance in Wuhan, where the Chinese national women’s soccer team visited a week ago. Picture: Getty

A Chinese man on the Gold Coast has been confirmed as the first person in Queensland to be afflicted with the deadly Chinese coronavirus.

He was among 19 people tested for the disease in Queensland on Wednesday but the first to be confirmed as carrying the virus.

Queensland Health chief health officer Jeannette Young announced the positive test result on Wednesday evening.

“A 44-year-old Chinese national, who is currently isolated in the Gold Coast University Hospital, has been confirmed to have novel coronavirus,” Dr Young said in a statement.

“The man, who is from the city of Wuhan, is stable.”

The news came as the national Chinese women’s soccer team was isolated within a Brisbane hotel room as a precaution after it was revealed they last week travelled to the city of Wuhan – the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The group of 32 people – including players and support staff – arrived in Brisbane from Singapore on Wednesday morning and was planning on training in Brisbane before travelling to Sydney.

They had travelled to Singapore from Wuhan a week ago on January 22.

Official health advice states that the coronavirus has an incubation period of two weeks.

Speaking to journalists in Brisbane on Wednesday afternoon, Queensland’s chief health officer Jeannette Young said the football team had arrived in Brisbane at 9am Wednesday and, under updated medical advice that the disease is contagious up to two days before symptoms are present, were isolated within the hotel.

“They were seen by border officials and all of them were well,” Dr Young said.

“They haven’t been walking around freely.”

Dr Young said the team was well and presented “no risk” to the public.

“They left Wuhan on January 22 so their 14 days ends on February 5 so they have been asked to remain in their hotel rooms until February 5,” she said.

“There is absolutely no risk to anyone else in that hotel or to the staff in that hotel.

“Until yesterday, those footballers would have been able to freely go through Brisbane and onto training.”

Dr Young said the team had been “extremely cooperative” and was travelling with a team doctor.

Queensland Health Minister Stephen Miles said the department had worked to ensure the women’s soccer team had been kept in isolation.

“We are aware of and working with a women’s football team from China who are in Brisbane now and have recently travelled to Wuhan,” Mr Miles said.

“Queensland Health is working closely with them and the management of the hotel where they are staying to ensure they are appropriately isolated from other guests as well as staff and to ensure protocols are put in place to check their health and keep them well.”

Mr Miles said the name of the hotel would be released after the hotel’s managers had been given a chance to speak with staff and guests.

“The department has only just met with management of the hotel,” he said.

“They want to first notify guests and staff.”

Sixth positive coronavirus test in Australia

A second case of coronavirus has been discovered in Victoria, with a man in his 60s becoming the sixth person to return a positive test to the serious virus.

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton announced the case, revealing that the man’s family members – including two children – were being monitored.

Dr Sutton also said the man briefly went to a suburban Melbourne restaurant at the weekend.

The man was hospitalised, but has since returned home.

“So we have a second confirmed novel coronavirus case in Victoria,” Dr Sutton said.

“As you know, we had an earlier case – a man who’s still stable and in hospital. But we now have a new case: A man in his 60s – a Victorian resident – who became unwell on the 23rd of January.

“Subsequently tested through his general practitioner. He’s been referred to the Monash Medical Centre where he’s being assessed as well. So he’s returned home and he’s in isolation at home.”

He said members of his family had shown symptoms of the virus, but have not tested positive.

“He has family who we need to follow up as close contacts,” he said. “They are undergoing ongoing monitoring. Some have had symptoms but no one has returned a positive test to date. But they will remain under monitoring by the Department.”

He said the restaurant attended by the man has been cleared of any danger, and that the victim had taken precautions after feeling unwell.

“The gentleman in question was mostly at home and had isolated himself when unwell, but he did go out to a restaurant called the House of Delight for a short period of time.”

Following the man’s diagnosis, the Victorian government has updated its health guidelines to urge anyone who has travelled in the Hubei Province of China to self-isolate for 14 days.

“The self-isolation recommendation applies to people of all ages,” said Victoria’s health minister Jenny Mikakos.

“Adults should not attend work and children should not attend school.”

The updated guidelines also come after Australia’s chief medical officer Brendan Murphy urged anyone who has visited Hubei Province to self-isolate, even if they exhibit no symptoms of the disease.

Along with the two Victorian cases, four people have tested positive in NSW.

States update health advice

The Queensland government has also announced it is updating its policy regarding school students who are at risk of contracting coronavirus, adopting the federal government’s advice that all students or teachers who have recently travelled to China should isolate themselves for 14 days.

The Health Department also revealed a women’s football team from China who have recently travelled to Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, has been quarantined in a Brisbane hotel.

“The Department of Health is working closely with them and the management of the hotel where they are staying to ensure they are appropriately isolated from other guests as well as staff,” said Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young confirmed that Queensland still has no cases of coronavirus, although they tested 19 people for the disease earlier this morning.

“We should receive results from those tests later this evening,” Dr Young said.

With Lachlan Moffet Gray