WA’s cases have jumped up officially by 44 cases of COVID-19 overnight bringing the state total to 355.

It comes as Minister for Health Roger Cook announced WA would be expanding its testing regime for COVID-19.

Seventeen West Australians have tested positive for the virus since yesterday as well as 27 people from the Artania ship including 14 passengers and 13 crew members.

“Our official numbers will show we have 355 cases of COVID-19 in WA because of course those cruise ship passengers will be incorporated into our overall figures,” Mr Cook said.

The new Western Australians cases included two regional positives with one in the Great Southern and one in the Kimberley.

Eight of the new WA cases are related to overseas travel, one from domestic travel and four are close contacts of these people.

Two of the new cases are health care workers.

Two Artania patients at Fiona Stanley Hospital and three from Sir Charles Gairdner will be transferred to the Joondalup Health Campus.

Four remain in FSH at the ICU while three passengers are at a Midland hospital.

Mr Cook said anyone with a fever and an acute respiratory illness in WA will be able to soon access COVID-19 clinics for testing.

He said this was because the number of people coming to WA from overseas and interstate had started to dwindle.