Coronavirus scare in Sydney as man returning from Iran tests positive to the disease – as government scrambles to block travel between the two countries
A man who recently travelled to Iran has become the fifth person in NSW to be diagnosed with coronavirus.
The male in his 40s arrived in Sydney from Iran on February 22 and didn’t develop symptoms of COVID-19 until two days later.
He was tested on February 28 and was confirmed to have COVID-19 on Saturday, NSW Health said in a statement on Sunday.
The man has relatively minor symptoms and has been taken to Westmead Hospital.
He is the state’s fifth confirmed case of the virus with the four previous cases all having been discharged from hospital.
Travellers at Brisbane International Airport on January 29 (pictured)
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said another man in his 50s was also under investigation for possible COVID-19 based on his preliminary lab results.
‘Travellers from Iran should be particularly vigilant for symptoms as there has been a rapid increase in COVID-19 activity there in recent days,’ Dr Chant said in a statement on Sunday.
The man in his 40s is the second person in Australia diagnosed with the virus after recently travelling to Iran.
A Gold Coast beautician who was diagnosed with coronavirus after she returned from Iran could have infected up to 40 people in Australia.
The woman, 63, works at Hair Plus salon, in the Australia Fair shopping centre in Southport and fell ill at work on Thursday.
She is currently ‘in isolation’ at Gold Coast University Hospital, according to the state’s health department.
Queensland’s chief medical officer Dr Jeannette Young said the woman did facials on up to 40 clients, with each one lasting around 15 minutes.
She warned that ‘we will be seeing an epidemic here in Queensland eventually’.
Health authorities are now desperately trying to track down the infected woman’s customers to urge them to get tested.
The federal government on Saturday advised Australians against travelling to Iran.
Under the new restrictions, Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family who’ve travelled to Iran will be required to self isolate at home for 14 days from the day they left the country.
Foreign nationals who are in Iran will be banned from entering Australia for 14 days, from the time they have left or transited through.