Two more Australians who were on the coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship and evacuated to Darwin have been tested to see if they have the infection with eight tourists already testing positive. The eighth to come down with the COVID-19 infection was a Victorian man whose partner had been diagnosed with the disease and they had returned to their home state together. He probably had the infection while on the ship in Japan as he has since disclosed that he felt unwell then, Acting NT chief health officer Dianne Stephens said. He was "more than likely in the recovery phase of the disease" now as he had not had any symptoms at the Howard Springs quarantine facility near Darwin, she said. Prof Stephens said she could not say why the infection had not been identified while the more than 3700 passengers and crew were in quarantine for a fortnight in Japan. Globally there are now 80,410 reported COVID-19 cases and 2707 deaths. The results of the latest tests for two people in Darwin are due on Wednesday night. One person was in isolation at Howard Springs while a 61-year-old NSW woman went to Royal Darwin Hospital due to a cardiac condition. She was tested and isolated in a "negative pressure room", used for droplet infections such as tuberculosis, which is often seen in remote communities. The Australians left in Darwin, mostly aged in their 60s and 70s, but some over 80, were past the halfway mark of their 14-day quarantine period - after being isolated for 14 days on the ship - and their morale was improving, Prof Stephens said. Another 266 people already quarantined at Howard Springs who were evacuated from the epicentre of the virus at Wuhan in China left the facility last weekend. Australian Associated Press
Australians from the Diamond Princess quarantined near Darwin are halfway through their stay there.
Two more Australians who were on the coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship and evacuated to Darwin have been tested to see if they have the infection with eight tourists already testing positive.
The eighth to come down with the COVID-19 infection was a Victorian man whose partner had been diagnosed with the disease and they had returned to their home state together.
He probably had the infection while on the ship in Japan as he has since disclosed that he felt unwell then, Acting NT chief health officer Dianne Stephens said.
He was "more than likely in the recovery phase of the disease" now as he had not had any symptoms at the Howard Springs quarantine facility near Darwin, she said.
Prof Stephens said she could not say why the infection had not been identified while the more than 3700 passengers and crew were in quarantine for a fortnight in Japan.
Globally there are now 80,410 reported COVID-19 cases and 2707 deaths.
The results of the latest tests for two people in Darwin are due on Wednesday night.
One person was in isolation at Howard Springs while a 61-year-old NSW woman went to Royal Darwin Hospital due to a cardiac condition. She was tested and isolated in a "negative pressure room", used for droplet infections such as tuberculosis, which is often seen in remote communities.
The Australians left in Darwin, mostly aged in their 60s and 70s, but some over 80, were past the halfway mark of their 14-day quarantine period - after being isolated for 14 days on the ship - and their morale was improving, Prof Stephens said.
Another 266 people already quarantined at Howard Springs who were evacuated from the epicentre of the virus at Wuhan in China left the facility last weekend.
