South Australia’s first dedicated coronavirus clinic is due to open on Thursday, as two new cases were discovered in the state.

As officials brace for a rise in the number of patients, the two sick women are being treated in isolation in hospital.

Authorities for the first time urged people who had travelled to Iran to self-isolate, amid an escalation of the global crisis.

An Adelaide mother, 40, is in a stable condition at the Flinders Medical Centre after travelling from Iran, via Kuala Lumpur, before falling ill upon her return. Her baby was also in hospital as a precaution.

She flew on Malaysia Airlines flight 139 on Sunday. SA Health officials are urgently contacting other passengers.

Staff at FMC have been assured the hospital is well-equipped to safely manage coronavirus with “robust infection control management processes in place”.

FMC chief executive Professor Susan O’Neill on Wednesday night issued a message to staff, saying: “I would like to reassure staff that the risk of transmission within our hospital from this novel coronavirus case remains low and we are taking all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our consumers, visitors and staff.”

In the second case, a country-based woman, 24, was in a stable condition in an Adelaide hospital after falling ill following overseas travel.

Authorities were investigating her background and travel history.

media_camera Premier Steven Marshall and SA Health chief Nicola Spurrier.

The Advertiser has learned of a possible third new case involving an SA Employment Tribunal visitor, who had also returned from Iran and was “visibly unwell”.

He presented to the Lyell McEwin Hospital on Monday and is now in quarantine at home awaiting tests.

Officials closed the court as it was cleaned, along with a public waiting area and toilets.

Three previous SA victims, including two doctors from the virus’s epicentre, Wuhan in China, have all recovered. A further 11 high-risk patients are awaiting test results.

From today, suspected virus patients will be isolated at the dedicated clinic at the RAH for testing and treatment, bypassing the ED. Other hospitals are preparing similar clinics, where staff will wear special protection. In other developments:

TOUGH laws that will allow people suspected of carrying the virus to be detained were passed by the State Parliament.

A CARE-home worker in Sydney tested positive to the virus, and a 95-year-old woman in her care died from the disease.

THE number of global cases could be three times higher than reported, Australia’s Chief Medical Officer, Brendan Murphy, told a Senate hearing.

AUSTRALIA does not have enough face masks and personal protective gear to cope with a serious outbreak.

DOCTORS could be paid to carry out phone consultations to ease pressure on GPs.

SHOPPERS were told it was not sensible to stockpile goods such as toilet paper.

CRUISE lines offered customers credit for cancelled trips.

SA’s Chief Public Health Officer, Associate Professor Nicola Spurrier, urged calm but said anyone feeling unwell should immediately contact health authorities.

Premier Steven Marshall said he understood the “increasing levels of anxiety”.