GlobalHealth Threats

Australia has reported at least 249 cases of COVID-19, including passengers evacuated from Diamond Princess cruise ship, and several fatalities. The cases are in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.

15 March: Further cases reported, total of 249 confirmed. New South Wales reports the highest number with 111, Victoria has 49 and Queensland has 46. New 14 day self-isolation measures are in place for all travellers entering Australia from 16 March.

14 March: At least 197 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported. The majority of these from New South Wales. A national campaign has launched to include videos to inform Australians about Good hygiene; Staying Informed; Recent Traveller; and Help Stop the Spread.

13 March: At least 156 confirmed cases and 3 deaths. New South Wales remains the most affected (77), followed by Queensland (24) and Victoria (23). The majority are imported cases, however 29 cases have not travelled internationally and have been acquired locally. At least 26 of these cases have recovered.

11 March: 112 confirmed cases, 3 deaths. The majority are in NSW (60) followed by Queensland (15). Twenty-seven cases have no history of international travel, and eight of these are a cluster in an aged care facility in Sydney.

9 March: Six more cases have been reported, bringing the total number of cases to 80.

8 March: A third infection has proved fatal, in an 80-year-old man. At least 13 cases in the country are associated with an aged care facility in New South Wales.

5 March: Eleven more cases are reported, including one death, bringing the total to 52 cases and two deaths in the country.

4 March: An additional eight cases are reported, bringing the total to 41 cases in the country. New South Wales has confirmed human-to-human transmission at an aged care facility, between an elderly patient and one nursing staff at the facility. Their infection cannot be traced back to a source. Close contacts of these patients are being followed up. Another case in NSW and other confirmed cases in Victoria and Queensland had a travel history to Iran.

3 March: Additional cases have been reported, including one death. This brings the total number of cases to 33. Fifteen of the confirmed cases have a travel history to Wuhan, seven to Iran, ten are linked to the Diamond Princess cruise ship, and one case is a health care worker who has not recently travelled to any high risk countries.

1 March: Reports indicate that the first two cases of local transmission have been confirmed. It is not clear where the 31-year-old doctor got infected from but the 41-year-old woman was infected from her brother who returned from Iran.

29 February: Additional three cases have been confirmed.

24 February: Another evacuee confirmed with COVID-19.

22 February: Authorities have reported another four people who were evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan, are infected with COVID-19. They are said to have mild symptoms. They were held in a quarantine village in Darwin, Northern Territory, but will return to their homes in the states of Queensland and Victoria where they will be cared for in isolation.