The scary rate of coronavirus infection Australia narrowly avoided
Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters on Friday if the coronavirus cases had kept growing in Australia at the same rate it was 12 days ago, we would now have more than 10,500 cases.
That would be almost double the current number of infections in Australia.
Mr Morrison said it was even possible we would have hit 8000 positive cases just last weekend.
Live blog: Coronavirus updates and news
The prime minister said strict social distancing measures including bans on gatherings of more than two people had slowed the spread.
"That is a tribute to the work that has been done by Australians in getting around and supporting the very sensible measures that have been put in place all around the country by the state and territory governments," he said.
"But we must continue to do this. Doesn't matter what the temperature is. If it's a warm day, don't go in masses down to the beach.
"It isn't just the government asking you to do this, it's your fellow Australians asking you to do this because by complying with those arrangements, and supporting those arrangements, you're supporting your fellow Australians."
Australian Chief Medical Officer, Brendan Murphy, says the growth rate of cases has dropped to about five per cent per day, from highs of around 25 per cent last month.
Mr Murphy says Australia is leading the world in the amount of testing it is getting through.
“We’re pretty confident our testing has been in the world,” he said.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
