As coronavirus spreads around the world and Australia records its first death from the virus, doctors are warning about the effect a potential outbreak could have on the nation's health system.

This story was being regularly updated throughout the day until late into Sunday night.

Key moments on Sunday

Two people in NSW diagnosed after returning from Iran

A man in his 40s and a woman in her 50s who recently returned from Iran on separate flights have become New South Wales's fifth and sixth cases of coronavirus.

Iran has seen a spike in infections and on Saturday the Federal Government imposed a travel ban on foreign nationals travelling from Iran to Australia.

The man returned from Iran on February 22, developed symptoms two days later, was tested on February 28 and his diagnosis was confirmed a day later.

The woman, meanwhile, returned on February 23 and was tested on the 29th, with NSW Health confirming the diagnosis on Sunday.

She flew in on Qatar Airways flight QR908, which was scheduled to touch down in Sydney last Sunday at 6:45pm, and NSW Health is urging anyone on that flight to be on the lookout for symptoms.

"If symptoms develop, people who were on that flight should isolate themselves straight away and contact their GP or local emergency department," a statement read.

"The local public health unit is identifying and contacting people who have been in close contact with the case, in accordance with national guidelines.

"Because the woman's symptoms began within 24 hours of arriving in Sydney, people who were sitting close to her on her flight will be followed up and asked to self-isolate."

Another man in his 50s who was also under investigation for possible COVID-19 in NSW is "unlikely to have the virus", according to NSW Health, but further testing is being conducted as a precaution.

The woman is one of four cases in Australia to have come from Iran, including a Gold Coast beautician who tested positive late on Friday, sparking fears that dozens of others may have been infected. New Zealand's first case also came from someone who had been in Iran.

Victorian woman confirmed as state's ninth coronavirus case

A Victorian who recently returned from Iran has been confirmed as the state's ninth case of coronavirus.

The Victorian Government said a woman in her 30s, who returned from Tehran, is recovering in isolation at her home.

The woman became unwell on February 27 while returning to Melbourne from Iran's capital via Kuala Lumpur and Bali.

The Government said she travelled on Malindo Air flight number OD177, which landed in Melbourne at 6:00am on February 28.

The Department of Health and Human Services is following up close contacts on the plane.

Japan pledges $3.8 billion to help fight virus

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced a 270 billion yen ($3.83 billion) emergency economic package to help fight the coronavirus as he sought the public's support for his Government's fight against the outbreak.

Mr Abe said the emergency package includes financial support for parents and their employers affected by the school closures. ( AP: Eugene Hoshiko )

Mr Abe said at a news conference that Japan is at a critical juncture to determine whether the country can keep the outbreak under control ahead of this summer's Tokyo Olympics.

Mr Abe, whose announcement this past week of a plan to close all schools for more than a month through the end of the Japanese academic year sparked public criticism, said the emergency package includes financial support for parents and their employers affected by the school closures.

He said that much about the virus is still unknown, and "fighting against an unknown and unclear enemy is not easy".

"Frankly speaking, this battle cannot be won solely by the efforts of the Government," Mr Abe said.

"We cannot do it without understanding and cooperation from every one of you, including medical institutions, families, companies and local governments."

Japan has at least 940 confirmed cases of the virus, including more than 700 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, whose quarantine in Yokohama led to international criticism that the containment was ineffective.

Several of the about 1,000 former passengers who tested virus-free and were allowed to get off the ship after a 14-day quarantine have since tested positive.

Air quality improves amid coronavirus lockdown

NASA says the decline is likely related to the outbreak of coronavirus. ( Supplied: NASA )

For all the death and sickness it has caused, it seems COVID-19 has helped to improve air quality over China.

NASA and the European Space Agency's pollution monitoring satellites have detected a significant decline in the amount of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) — a noxious gas emitted by cars, power plants and factories — in the wake of China shutting down industry and transport amid the outbreak.

"There is evidence that the change is at least partly related to the economic slowdown following the outbreak of coronavirus," NASA said in a statement.

According to NASA, the reduction in NO2 was first apparent near Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, where millions of people were quarantined.

Members of South Korean sect visited Wuhan

The Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu is being blamed for a major outbreak of coronavirus in South Korea. ( Reuters: Kim Hong-Ji )

Some members of a church at the centre of South Korea's coronavirus outbreak visited the Chinese city of Wuhan in January, where the disease is believed to have originated, according officials.

Most of the South Korean patients have been traced to a branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the south-eastern city of Daegu.

The church had a presence in Wuhan.

During a briefing on Sunday, Kwon Jun-wook, an official from the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, confirmed for the first time that some members of the church visited Wuhan.

He said it was unclear how many went there and whether the trip played a role in the outbreak.

The church, a secretive religious sect and alleged "super spreader" has reportedly been dubbed a "public harm auntie" by South Koreans who are angry its followers appear to be ignoring advice to get tested.

Authorities say the style of worship — tightly packed congregations where worshippers kneel close together — means cases among followers will continue to rise.

Shincheonji Church of Jesus worshipers are also forbidden from wearing glasses and face masks during prayer services, which may have helped the virus spread.

Mainstream Christian churches in South Korea often deride the Shincheonji church as a doomsday cult, and followers sometimes even hide their membership from family members. The founder claims to be the second coming of Jesus.

Gold Coast beauty salon staff not at risk, health officer says

Queensland's chief health officer Jeannette Young has provided an update on the woman who tested positive for coronavirus on the Gold Coast after returning from Iran.

The 63-year-old woman started feeling ill on Thursday while working at the Hair Plus salon, in the Australia Fair shopping centre at Southport.

The woman performed facial treatments on up to 40 clients, in sessions lasting less than 15 minutes, before she suffered symptoms and went to hospital to be tested, Dr Young said last week.

"She has now been admitted to the Gold Coast University Hospital where she remains well," Dr Young said on Sunday.

"She did exactly the right thing. As a result, the public health team down there [on the Gold Coast] has now assessed all of the arrangements in the beauty salon that she worked at.

None of the staff are at increased risk, so none of them need to go into home quarantine.

"And a number of people who attended that salon were assessed at Gold Coast University Hospital yesterday and none of them were unwell.

"And they were given advice, but there's no requirement for any of those people who attended that salon to go into home quarantine, as they didn't have that sustained 15-minute exposure that is needed to be regarded as close contact.

"That whole process was done perfectly.

"So could I please ask every person in Queensland who has returned from overseas and has become unwell with any symptom at all to immediately seek medical advice?

"That's the way that we will be able to continue to contain this virus here in Queensland, so we don't get community transmission of the virus."

Coronavirus likened to Spanish flu

Stressing the need to ramp up preparations for dealing with the outbreak, the head of the Australian Medical Association in West Australia has likened coronavirus to the Spanish flu.

Emerging in 1918, during the closing stages of World War I, the Spanish flu spread first through war-weakened Europe, and then worldwide.

Over the course of about a year, up to one in three people in the world were infected and between 50 and 100 million died.

In Australia, it killed about 15,000 people at a time when the country's population was 5 million.

The AMA's WA president Andrew Miller said Australians should not panic, but he warned the death of a Perth man who had been on the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship showed coronavirus had to be taken seriously.

"I think it's a wake-up call … for the general public," he said.

"I guess we're used to being warned about things, and as Australians we tend to say she'll be OK and it will work out on the day, but in this instance we really do need to take a call to prepare very seriously."

Dr Miller said it was very unlikely the man would have lived if he had been taken off the cruise ship earlier.

"What we're seeing is that it can be quite mild for the first week or so and then it goes downhill from there," he said.

"Particularly people over the age of 65 or 70, they're the ones that seem to be getting the sickest from it."

Dr Miller said medical staff needed more resources to combat the virus.

"We are feeling particularly vulnerable in general practices because they do not have the equipment to properly deal with patients turning up with this disease," he said.

"We need to be thinking about tripling the ED [emergency department] capacity and doubling the ICU [intensive care unit] capacity. And the staff to run these things are not available at the moment.

"It's [coronavirus] likely to pop up in Western Australia by someone who's been in a country where they don't know they've been exposed to the virus or have any symptoms," Dr Miller said.

"The truth is we probably haven't seen a virus like this one since 1918 with the Spanish flu, so I understand why it's been a little slow to get the wheels going.

"It's not a time to panic. It's not a time to be moving to the hills. It is a time to be thinking about what will we do if this hits, how will it affect our life and what can we do to help others."

China sees highest rise in a week

China has reported its largest daily number of new coronavirus cases in a week, with 573 new infections on February 29, up from 427 on the previous day, the country's health authority said.

The number of daily deaths stood at 35, down from 47 on the previous day, bringing the total death toll in mainland China to 2,870.

All but one of the deaths were in Hubei province, the centre of the outbreak. The province also saw 570 of the new cases.

Queensland planning for 'great pressure' on hospitals, 'incredibly concerned' about old people

Queensland health authorities are bringing forward elective surgeries in a bid to prepare for the impact of coronavirus on the state's hospital system.

"We are anticipating great pressure on our hospitals within [a] two- to three-month time frame," Health Minister Steven Miles said.

"We know that if and when the coronavirus does spread here in larger numbers, that will put enormous pressure on our hospitals and our intensive care units, and we know that will likely lead to a drop in elective surgery activity.

"These initiatives are designed to ensure that, as far as possible, that doesn't impact on the regular ... non-urgent elective surgery and specialist appointments," Mr Miles said.

Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles speaking during Question Time at Parliament House in Brisbane on March 6, 2018. ( AAP: Darren England )

The $20 million package announced on Sunday included funding for the state's hospitals to offer specialist outpatient appointments, as well as running hospital operating theatres through weekends and over the Easter period.

"While for most people the symptoms will be mild, a significant proportion will need intensive care," Mr Miles said.

"I am incredibly concerned about aged care."

Queensland Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk said the State Government's health subcommittee would meet tomorrow to discuss the virus.

"Let me assure Queenslanders, we are doing everything to be prepared, just as we prepared for cyclones and bushfires," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"We will not stop, we have already put in place an economic package, we will continue to be vigilant and we will continue to be on guard."

Queensland's chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said people over the age of 70 with additional medical conditions were most at risk.

"As this outbreak evolves in Queensland and Australia we'll of course be working together at a national level to think through whether we have to do things with childcare centres, with schools, with mass gatherings and so forth," Dr Young added.

If things get to the highest emergency level in Australia here's what will happen

If you're truly concerned about coronavirus, Australia has an emergency response plan.

We should point out that despite one death in Australia, health authorities and the Government say it is not time to panic.

Australia's plan outlines responses to three levels of outbreak severity — low, moderate and high.

Under the plan, this is what would happen under a worst-case scenario:

Large gatherings cancelled

Large gatherings cancelled People having to work from home

People having to work from home Mortuary services prioritised

Mortuary services prioritised Aged care homes locked down

Aged care homes locked down Childcare centres closed

South Koreans urged to stay indoors

South Koreans have been asked to stay indoors to try and control the nation's coronavirus outbreak, Reuters has reported.

South Korea has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases behind China, with more than 3,000 cases and 17 deaths.

"We have asked you to refrain from taking part in public events, including a religious gathering or protest, this weekend," vice health minister Kim Kang-lip told a briefing, according to Reuters.

"Please stay at home and refrain from going outside and minimise contact with other people."

In Beijing, the ABC's China correspondent Bill Birtles, who has recently been in South Korea, said the managers of his apartment block had left a note on his door urging neighbours to "report" him if he left the building.

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"My building committee in Beijing this morning stuck this note on my door — telling neighbours I’ve been to Korea and urging them to report if I leave. Plus had to sign a doc agreeing to 14 days home quarantine, and send temps twice daily via WeChat."

First Australian death linked to coronavirus

A Diamond Princess cruise ship passenger has died in Perth after contracting coronavirus, becoming the first Australian fatality linked to COVID-19.

The 78-year-old man was evacuated to Darwin then transferred to hospital in Perth just over a week ago.

He was Western Australia's first confirmed case of the virus.

Western Australia's chief health officer Andrew Robertson said the man died early on Sunday morning and his wife is also in hospital.

"He passed away from the coronavirus this morning," Dr Robertson said.

"His wife is stable, she was diagnosed a couple of days ago."

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison tweeted his condolences.

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"Am very saddened at the death of an elderly Australian man from Perth, who contracted COVID-19 and we evacuated from the Diamond Princess in Japan. We join his family and friends in mourning his passing. COVID-19 is especially more severe for older people with other frailties,"he said.

Dr Robertson confirmed the man was being treated in the intensive care unit but said there was no concern for other patients there at this stage and stressed the death was not a cause for public panic.

"I'm concerned about people panicking," Dr Robertson said.

"We still need to make the point very clear that there is not community spread in Australia. This tragic case is still related to the Diamond Princess.

"People should be aware but not alarmed."

Could Australia issue Italy travel warning?

Health Minister Greg Hunt says the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee will consider whether changes need to be made to travel advisories for Italy.

"I have specifically asked them today to consider whether or not the current arrangements need to be changed in any way, shape or form," he said.

The Government is currently warning Australian travellers to exercise a high degree of caution in northern Italy, the centre of the country's outbreak.

Peter Dutton defends banning travel from Iran but not South Korea or Italy

There has been a surge in confirmed cases of coronavirus in Iran overnight.

Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour confirmed the virus had killed 43 people out of 593 confirmed cases in Iran.

The new figures represented a jump of 205 cases — a 53 per cent increase from the 388 reported the day before.

The number of known cases versus deaths would put the death rate in Iran at over 7 per cent, much higher than other countries.

That sudden spike in figures has concerned the Australian Government and is in part why Australia has banned travel from Iran but not from South Korea (3,150 cases, 16 deaths) or Italy (1,128 cases, 29 deaths), Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said this morning.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 2 minutes 18 seconds 2 m 18 s Peter Dutton justifies Iran travel ban on Insiders

"As the Chief Medical Officer has pointed out, it's not possible to extend the ban to every country," he told Insiders host David Speers.

"We'll see what phase we move into next, but there's particular concern about the lack of reporting out of Iran, the very high death rate.

"If you look at the under-reporting or the lack of reporting coming out of Iran to start with, I think there was a real concern as to whether they had a handle on the numbers. And I think even the numbers that we're talking about, relative to South Korea or elsewhere at the moment, potentially are well under-estimated.

"Obviously South Korea has a more advanced health system and they have been reporting numbers for a period of time. So I think there are key differences between those different markets."

Saturday's new toll represented a jump of 205 cases — a 53 per cent increase from the 388 reported the day before. ( AP: Vahid Salemi )

Iran now has 15 laboratories testing for the virus but even as the nation sends spray trucks and fumigators into the streets, officials are still trying to downplay the reach of the virus.

"During these 10 days that we are talking about the coronavirus in the country, more than 480 people of our country has been killed in traffic accidents, but no-one noticed them," Mr Jahanpour said.

Victorian man tests positive in NT quarantine

A Victorian man being held in quarantine in the Northern Territory has tested positive to COVID-19 and will be flown with his partner back to their home state.

The man — who had been evacuated from the cruise ship Diamond Princess — was one of four people tested on Saturday at the Manigurr-ma quarantine centre, a statement from the NT Department of Health said.

Defence force members at the quarantine site in the Northern Territory. ( ABC News: Matt Garrick )

He returned a "very mild positive result" while three other people tested negative for coronavirus.

"Arrangements are underway for this person and their partner to be medically transferred to Victoria for continued care in their home state," the statement said.

The couple will remain in isolation at an unnamed Melbourne hospital for the remainder of their quarantine period.

Over 1,100 people in Italy have coronavirus

Italian authorities say the number of cases there is now at 1,128, which represents a jump of over 200 people from Saturday's figures.

Eight more people have died in Italy, bringing the country's death toll to 29.

The US State Department issued a level three travel advisory — the second-highest level of warning — for the whole of Italy late on Friday, recommending "avoiding non-essential travel".

Many countries, inlcuding the US, have issued warnings for travel in Italy. ( Reuters: Manuel Silvestri )

Other countries have issued warnings for only defined areas of northern Italy where most cases of the new coronavirus are clustered.

The Italian tourism federation has already warned that the sector risks collapse.

"This is the darkest moment. Not even September 11 hit so heavily,'' the federation's president, Vittorio Messina, said, referring to the 2001 terror attacks in the United States.

Some Serie A football games have also been postponed.

Trump says not to panic after first US death

The United States has confirmed its first known death from the coronavirus, but President Donald Trump has urged Americans not to panic.

In a rare Saturday press conference, Mr Trump confirmed 22 people in America had the virus.

Mr Trump said four were very ill and one woman, a patient in her late 50s with other medical problems, died overnight in Washington state.

However US authorities later corrected that to say the dead person was actually a man in his 50s.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 1 minute 13 seconds 1 m 13 s Trump assures Americans coronavirus is under control

That figure did not seem to include cases of Americans repatriated from China or who were aboard the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship.

The Johns Hopkins database said there were 68 people in the United States infected with the virus, while also recording the one death.

"Additional cases in the United States are likely," Mr Trump said, "but healthy individuals should be able to fully recover."

Mr Trump described the Washington fatality as someone having a high medical risk before contracting the virus.

Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said there was "no evidence of a link to travel" abroad in the case of the person who died.

The Washington case was the first death in the US but not the first American to die — a 60-year-old US citizen died in Wuhan, China, in early February.

The US has also announced new travel restrictions on Iran and is now advising citizens not to visit parts of Italy and South Korea most affected by the virus.

Mr Trump added he was considering additional restrictions, including closing the US border with Mexico in response to the virus's spread.

But he later seemed to downplay the possibility, saying "this is not a border that seems to be much of a problem right now."

France discourages kissing

France has banned all indoor public gatherings of more than 5,000 people to slow the spread of coronavirus cases and is recommending that people no longer greet each other with kisses.

The cancellation of large gatherings in confined spaces was announced after special government meetings on Saturday that focused on responses to the epidemic.

Having previously recommended that people avoid shaking hands, Health Minister Olivier Veran said they should also cut back on "la bise", the custom in France and elsewhere in Europe of giving greetings with cheek kisses.

The tightened restrictions on public gatherings had an immediate impact. A major trade show, a Paris half-marathon and a carnival in the Alpine town of Annecy have all been cancelled.

Public gatherings are being banned completely in the Oise region north of Paris that has seen a cluster of cases, and in a town in the foothills of the Alps that has also seen infections, Mr Veran said.

The number of French coronavirus cases almost doubled, to 100, on Saturday (local time).

Of those, 86 people have been hospitalised, two have died and 12 have recovered, the head of France's national health service, Jerome Salomon, said.

Global figures at a glance

These are the latest figures, as of Sunday morning, with Italy and South Korea both recording a large jump in cases.

Mainland China: 79,826 cases, 2,761 deaths

Mainland China: 79,826 cases, 2,761 deaths South Korea: 3,526 cases, 17 deaths

South Korea: 3,526 cases, 17 deaths Italy: 1,128 cases, 29 deaths

Italy: 1,128 cases, 29 deaths Japan: 946 cases, including 705 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, 11 deaths

Japan: 946 cases, including 705 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, 11 deaths Iran: 978 cases, 54 deaths

Iran: 978 cases, 54 deaths Singapore: 102 cases

Singapore: 102 cases France: 100 cases, 2 deaths

France: 100 cases, 2 deaths Hong Kong: 96 cases, 2 deaths

Hong Kong: 96 cases, 2 deaths Germany: 79 cases

Germany: 79 cases United States: 71 cases, 1 death

United States: 71 cases, 1 death Kuwait, Spain: 45 cases

Kuwait, Spain: 45 cases Thailand: 42 cases, 1 death

Thailand: 42 cases, 1 death Bahrain: 41 cases

Bahrain: 41 cases Taiwan: 40 cases, 1 death

Taiwan: 40 cases, 1 death Malaysia: 29 cases

Malaysia: 29 cases Australia: 25 cases, 1 death

Australia: 25 cases, 1 death United Kingdom: 23 cases

United Kingdom: 23 cases UAE, Switzerland: 21 cases

UAE, Switzerland: 21 cases Vietnam: 16 cases

Vietnam: 16 cases Norway: 15 cases

Norway: 15 cases Iraq: 13 cases

Iraq: 13 cases Sweden: 12 cases

Sweden: 12 cases Macau: 10 cases

Macau: 10 cases Austria: 9 cases

Austria: 9 cases Israel: 7 cases

Israel: 7 cases Croatia, Oman, Netherlands: 6 cases

Croatia, Oman, Netherlands: 6 cases Greece, Mexico, Lebanon, Pakistan: 4 cases

Greece, Mexico, Lebanon, Pakistan: 4 cases Philippines: 3 cases, 1 death

Philippines: 3 cases, 1 death India, Romania, Finland, Denmark, Azerbaijan: 3 cases

India, Romania, Finland, Denmark, Azerbaijan: 3 cases Russia, Brazil, Belgium: 2 cases

Russia, Brazil, Belgium: 2 cases Egypt, Algeria, Qatar, Afghanistan, Ireland, North Macedonia, Luxembourg, Georgia, Lithuania, Belarus, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Iceland, San Marino, Monaco, Estonia, Ecuador: 1 case each