A desperate search is underway for passengers on a Qatar Airways flight who sat near a woman who has since tested positive to the deadly novel coronavirus.
As Australia’s first death from the virus was confirmed, and the number of people testing positive is climbing, warnings have been issued
In a media conference on Monday afternoon, Australia’s chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said the time “when people are most infectious is when they are symptomatic”.
The woman, aged in her 50s, developed symptoms of COVID-19 after arriving on February 23 on Qatar Airways Flight QR 908 from Iran and was confirmed to have the virus six days later. Another man in his 40s who also returned from Iran on a separate flight is also in isolation after testing positive.
The latest emergency comes as Queensland health authorities contacted up to 40 customers of a 63-year-old Gold Coast beautician who returned from Iran and tested positive to the virus.
So far in NSW, at least 80 people are being tested but that is a “rolling figure”.
NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said those passengers on the Iran flight who sat a couple of rows in front of and behind the woman should self-isolate for 14 days.
“We will be reaching out as soon as we’ve got contact details,” Dr Chant told reporters in Sydney on Monday.
Australia has recorded 29 infections, including Perth man James Kwan, 78, who died on the weekend after contracting the virus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.
Tragically, in his final hours his wife, who also has the virus, and his relatives were unable to be by his bedside.
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WA Premier Mark McGowan said Mr Kwan spent his final moments alone because he was quarantined, according to news.com.au
“It would have been awful, they couldn’t go in and touch him or hold his hand, it would have been so tragically sad,” Mr McGown said.
“You don’t want to leave this world without someone holding your hand.”
Globally, 89,000 people have tested positive to the virus and as of Monday afternoon, the death toll was 3039.
Virus spread encourages panic buying
The Australian Medical Association has urged people not to panic-buy after pictures of bare supermarket shelves began circulating online.
“There is an enormous amount of misinformation and almost fear,” the AMA vice president Tony Bartone has told the ABC.
“There’s no reason to go out and panic buy almost bunker-level materials.”
Travel bans and new cases
Four new cases confirmed over the weekend all involving people who recently returned to Australia from Iran.
“Even though we have a relatively low travel volume from Iran we have had these four cases … that is why Iran has been a particularly special case,” Dr Murphy said.
The travel ban is currently in place for foreign nationals returning from Iran, but so far Australia has not banned arrivals from other virus hotspots, including Italy and South Korea.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton warned on Monday further bans could be futile in the face of the escalating emergency.
“You get to a position where you just can’t contain that by closing borders, or closing routes from particular countries. That’s the stage we’re at at the moment,” Mr Dutton told Sky News.
“We can’t just close down every flight, every movement across our borders. We need to be realistic about the fact we’re a trading nation.”
Mr Dutton insisted he had confidence in advice from the World Health Organisation, which is yet to declare a pandemic.
But, he also said Australia was leaning on its intelligence agencies and allies to get the “true picture”.
“There’s a lot of work that we’ve done with our Five Eyes partners – with the United States, and the United Kingdom in particular,” Mr Dutton said.
“And we work very closely with our intelligence community as well to look at the true picture of what’s going on. There is uncertainty around some of the numbers.”
ASX plunges
The Australian share market has dropped again as the spread of the coronavirus beyond China fuels fears of a world economic slump, and after a Perth man became the first person in the country to die from the infection.
The federal government is warning more travel bans could be futile as the virus continues to spread around the world, including in Italy where infections have soared 50 per cent – to 1694 cases – in a single day.
Australian stocks dived more than three in morning trade on Monday, falling for a seventh straight trading day, as concerns mounted the outbreak could trigger a worldwide recession.
Globally there have been more than 87,000 infections and almost 3000 deaths spanning 60 countries.
-with agencies
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