A health professor explained it this way: "The R0 ( better known as R naught) is how many people are infected by one person. For Covid 19 it is 1.5 to 3.5 at present but it will come down as eventually more are infected."

"It takes about 5.8 days for the next person to get symptoms so you have to get your doubling rate over that to push the curve down."

"Australia is tracking at doubling every 3-4 days. We probably only got serious about [social distancing remedies] on the weekend but if by early next week we are not drifting out to 5-6 day doubling, it means there is so much virus out there the current measures are not working."

As the graph displayed shows it is the three day gap between Australia's current doubling rate of three days and the six day doubling rate, which begins to flatten the curve. This is the key policy target of all the various governmental efforts.

If by next week the red (Australia) line is not starting to track the black (six day doubling) line then governments are going to have to consider more restrictive measures, or risk the medical system being over run and possibly death rates up to ten times higher than if the current reproduction is not curtailed.

Seventh death, cases reach new high

NSW health authorities announced on Friday that an 81-year old NSW woman had become the seventh Australian to die from COVID0-19

The total number of coronavirus cases across the country rose by 146 cases, or 20.6 per cent, to 856, as of 6pm Friday AEDT.


NSW recorded a jump of 75, to 382 cases, while Queensland recorded another 40 cases, for a total of 184. The Northern Territory recorded a second case, while the ACT recorded two additional cases.

Authorities also moved on Friday to expand the country's testing regime.

Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said strict testing criteria could be relaxed, allowing workers in aged care and hospitals showing flu-like symptoms and anyone with pneumonia to be immediately tested.

They would join Australians returning from overseas with symptoms and anyone who is unwell after coming into contact with a confirmed case under the current rules.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said more than 85,000 people had been tested so far, with a focus on the most-likely cases.

"What we are also doing … is looking at being able to expand it through what’s called point-of-care tests. We have 100,000 of those kits already in Australia."