Woman dies from coronavirus in Victorian hospital taking Australia’s death toll to 22

Woman in her 70s dies from coronavirus in hospital taking Australia’s death toll to 22 – as confirmed cases surge past 5,000

  • A woman in her 70s has become the fifth coronavirus patient to die in Victoria
  • There are currently 5,049 cases of coronavirus in Australia including 22 deaths
  • Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?

A woman in her 70s has become the fifth coronavirus patient to die in the state of Victoria.

Her death takes the national death toll to 22 as the number of confirmed cases soared to 5,049 nationally overnight.   

In Victoria alone, there are now 1,036 cases – up 68 from Tuesday – including 36 patients still in hospital and six in intensive care.

Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton made the announcement during a press conference on Thursday morning.

Ms Mikakos said she understood the woman was in hospital for a few days battling the virus.

‘I have to stress, this is a very serious situation. Unprecedented in all of our lifetimes. I urge Victorians to follow the rules. 

‘None of these rules have been made lightly, they’ve all been made to help the most vulnerable members of our community.’ 

There are currently 5,049 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, including 22 deaths

Ms Mikakos also announced an additional 9,000 critical care beds after the state government struck a deal with private hospitals. 

Some 4,000 health workers have expressed interest in helping in the fight against COVID-19. 

In response to the threat in Victoria, health authorities in the state have expanded their testing criteria.  

‘We will be shifting our focus to testing a wider group of people in the community,’ Ms Mikakos said.

Testing criteria has been expanded to include police officers, child protection workers and paid or unpaid carers in healthcare and disability care. 

The state’s chief health officer Brett Sutton said of all the people who had returned home and were quarantined in hotels, he is only aware of one who tested positive for COVID-19.

He expects lockdown measures to keep Victorians safe will likely be in place until at least the end of May or early June.  

More to come. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk