Fears 'thousands of Australians exposed to coronavirus victims'
There are fears thousands of Australians have been exposed to the deadly coronavirus as flights to and from China continue to operate.
Queensland Health confirmed the state's second case of coronavirus infection late on Thursday as a 42-year-old woman, making her the ninth coronavirus case in Australia, with four confirmed in NSW and three in Victoria.
All have arrived from China’s Hubei province by air and spent time in Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus. An offical from China told AFP the death toll from the virus had increased to 212 as of Friday, with over 9000 cases confirmed worldwide.
Queensland authorities continue their desperate search for more than 150 passengers who shared a flight with the state's two confirmed victims.
There are concerns thousands more have come into contact with the other seven confirmed cases, whether it be on planes into the country or on their arrival in Australia where the patients didn’t immediately show signs of illness.
Dozens across various states are undergoing testing for the virus as authorities try and stem the spread.
On Friday (AEDT), the World Health Organisation declared the coronavirus outbreak a global problem.
On Thursday diners at a Chinese restaurant in Melbourne were warned they may have been exposed to coronavirus, and urged to look out for possible symptoms.
NSW Health has since confirmed two of the confirmed patients are now post-virus and have been discharged.
Virus can spread on the streets
Infectious diseases physician Sanjaya Senanayake said the virus is spread by a droplet in a cough or a sneeze, similar to how influenza is passed on with droplets settling about one metre away.
"Coronavirus may not be the easiest infection to get but it can be transmitted in several ways,” she said.
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It could, for example, potentially spread if a person with coronavirus stands on a street corner coughing for a while and then leaves before someone else walks past.
It could also be spread via contaminated surfaces if someone touches their nose or mouth after touching a surface that has been coughed or sneezed on by an infected person.
It could also be spread through blood, urine and faeces, Prof Senanayake said.
Passengers on the Tiger Air flight TT566 to the Gold Coast on Monday are being contacted by the state government over fears they may have contracted the virus.
Those sitting in rows nine to 3 are at the most serious risk of contracting the virus, according to chief medical officer Dr Jeanette Young.
She said anyone who spent two hours or more exposed to an infectious person in a confined space could be at risk. The flight time from Melbourne to the Gold Coast is about two hours.
The development came as Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles approved a public health emergency order giving authorities the power to detain suspected coronavirus victims, the Courier-Mail reported.
Under the order Dr Young can give written orders telling people to stay at a particular place, and authorities can use reasonable force on those who don't comply.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and senior ministers opted not to travel to a Labor caucus meeting in the Gold Coast hinterland so they could manage the health situation, the newspaper reported.
A total of 41 people across Queensland were tested for coronavirus on Thursday.
Drastic measures to prevent coronavirus spread
The team are scheduled to play three matches in Australia over the next fortnight.
One of those is against the Matildas, which is scheduled for February 9.
As Australia finalises its plans to evacuate 600 Australians from Wuhan and quarantine them on Christmas Island, Pakistan announced it would not be moving to evacuate 500 of its residents within the epicentre.
Late on Thursday Russia announced it would be closing its border with China.
It comes after Papua New Guinea banned all incoming travellers from Asia in a bold move to prevent the spread of the virus.
With AAP
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