
Australia’s death toll climbs to 65.
A crew member from the coronavirus-plagued Artania cruise ship has died in a Perth hospital, taking Western Australia’s COVID-19 death toll to seven and the national toll to 65.
The state’s Health Minister Roger Cook said the man from the Philippines died at Royal Perth Hospital on Thursday. At 42, he is the youngest victim of the virus in Australia.
“His family have been notified and were put in contact with that crew member via translators and the shipping company, and they were able to reach out to him in his dying days,” Mr Cook told reporters on Friday.
“My thoughts and sympathies are with his family and friends and fellow crew members in what must undoubtedly be a very difficult time for them.”
In total, WA has recorded 219 positive tests among people linked to cruise ships, including 79 from the Artania and 53 from the Ruby Princess.
The Artania remains docked in Fremantle but the German liner is expected to leave on Saturday.
Premier Mark McGowan said the man’s passing was very sad, but it was still in the interests of everyone for the ship to leave as soon as possible.
“The Commonwealth has issued them with a directive to leave tomorrow,” he told reporters.
“If I was a crew member of that ship I would want to get home.”
The news of the man’s death followed that of a 72-year-old man who passed away in a Tasmanian hospital on Friday morning.
Newborn tests positive in NSW.
A seven-week-old baby boy is among the 29 new NSW cases of coronavirus, officials confirmed this morning.
“We’ve had a seven-week-old baby boy who has tested covid positive and the baby is a close contact of known cases,” said NSW Chief Medical Officer Kerry Chant.
“The source of that infection for that family cluster is not known but the patient was admitted to hospital and assessed but was actually not admitted.”
NSW also confirmed they are upgrading some of the state’s hospitals to cope with COVID 19 patients who have left ICU.
93 per cent of cases in Australia identified.
Ninety three per cent of all symptomatic cases of coronavirus in Australia are probably identified, according to fresh modelling.