Police escort doctors to board the Ruby Princess cruise ship after a seventh passenger dies from coronavirus
- Police escorted doctors to the Ruby Princess cruise ship off Sydney on Thursday
- Seven passengers who were on the cruise ship have died from coronavirus
- An 85-year-old man from Darling Downs, southern Queensland, died overnight
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
Police have escorted doctors to the Ruby Princess cruise ship after a seventh passenger died from coronavirus.
The Marine Area Command helped NSW Health and an independent medical team board the ship on Thursday. Police did not board the vessel.
There are more than 450 infections linked to cruise ships, including 340 cases from the Ruby Princess and 74 from the Ovation of the Seas.
The Marine Area Command helped NSW Health and an independent medical team board the ship on Thursday
An 85-year-old patient from Darling Downs, in regional southern Queensland, became the seventh Ruby Princess cruise passenger to die from COVID-19.
He died in Toowoomba Hospital overnight.
NSW Police said a 66-year-old crew member was also taken off the Ruby Princess for medical treatment on Thursday.
They have also assisted with the medical evacuations and transfers of Australian crew members stuck on several ships anchored off Sydney.
There have now been four instances in four days where the cruise ship has been boarded due to medical assistance being required.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in NSW has reached 2,298, with 116 new cases announced on Thursday morning.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said during a press conference on Wednesday it was time for these ships to ‘go home’.
More to come