Two more people die of coronavirus in Australia bringing the death toll to 61 

Two more people die of coronavirus in Australia – bringing the national death toll to 61

• Australia’s coronavirus death toll stands at 61 after two more people died
• Just 33 new cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed nationally overnight
• Despite promising results it is ‘far too early to tell’ results of social distancing 
• Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID

By Brittany Chain and Nic White For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 23:55 BST, 12 April 2020 | Updated: 00:38 BST, 13 April 2020

Two more people have died from coronavirus in Australia, lifting the nation’s death toll to 61.

Chief medical officer Brendan Murphy confirmed the latest deaths on Monday morning, without offering further details. 

Just 33 new cases of COVID-19 were identified overnight, indicating restrictive social distancing measures were working to slow the spread of the virus, according to Mr Murphy. 

‘At the moment our position looks promising, but it is far too early to tell,’ the nation’s most senior medical official told the Today Show on Monday.

‘This virus, as we have seen just in north Tasmania is able to spread very, very quickly. It’s very infectious.’  

Chief medical officer Brendan Murphy confirmed the latest deaths on Monday morning, without offering further details

The nationwide case total rose to 6,311 on Sunday, with corrections to previous totals meaning the curve has flattened even further than first thought.

There are currently 3,044 patients battling COVID-19, while 3,267 people have made a full recovery.

Australia nosed in front in the confirmed cases to recovered cases battle for the first time last week, a far cry to February and March when the number of active cases sat thousands ahead of recoveries.

Fewer active cases means less pressure on hospitals and doctors, and allows them to focus on treating seriously ill patients and cut the death rate. 

Mr Murphy on Sunday told reporters in Canberra that Australia is in a good place to get on top of coronavirus – but must keep actively working to beat it.

Fewer active cases means less pressure on hospitals and doctors, and allows them to focus on treating seriously ill patients and cut the death rate.

Australia has made significant progress in the fight against coronavirus, with a clear flattening of the curve on the graph that measures the daily infection rate

Medical personnel carry equipment to the Bondi Beach drive-through testing centre on Tuesday (pictured), where people are queuing up in their vehicles to test for coronavirus

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 6,325

New South Wales: 2,854

Victoria: 1,268

Queensland: 983

South Australia: 429

Western Australia: 517

Australian Capital Territory: 102

Tasmania: 144

Northern Territory: 28

TOTAL CASES:  6,325

RECOVERED: 3,338

DEAD: 61

University of NSW professor Bill Bowtell said recovered cases overtaking active cases showed Australia’s measures to stop the spread of coronavirus were working.

That recovered cases have caught up meant Australia had slashed the infection rate, instead of the exponential growth of cases still seen overseas.

‘If you told me three weeks ago this is where we would be today, I would have laughed. The number of cases was threatening to go straight up,’ he said.

Professor Bowtell said those recovering were Australians who returned from overseas last month and before, and the focus was now on preventing community transmission.

He said Australia’s flattened curve was due to social distancing measures the public was following, and it would become clear over the next two weeks if they were enough.

‘It’s entirely up to the public adhering to physical distancing over the next two or three weeks as to whether this trend continues,’ he said.

‘Nobody wants to be doing this and people have made a lot of sacrifices to get us to this point, so you don’t want to throw those gains away.’

Chief medical officer Brendan Murphy (pictured) said Australia is in a ‘position of strength’ but warned it was not the time to become complacent

Police continue to patrol parks and popular outdoor areas, moving on anyone who is not doing physical activity or issuing fines if they refuse to cooperate

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