The first case of coronavirus in Australia has been confirmed in Victoria, authorities announced on Saturday.

A man, aged in his 50s, was confirmed to have contracted the virus after spending two weeks in Wuhan, and arriving in Melbourne on January 19.

In the video above: Child rushed to Sydney hospital with suspected coronavirus

The Chinese National is in isolation and is undergoing treatment at Monash Medical Centre in Clayton.

He presented himself to the medical centre on Friday after experiencing symptoms and was immediately isolated.

He previously visited a GP on Thursday but was not confirmed to have the virus.

However a series of tests conducted on Saturday confirmed he had coronavirus.

A hospital is being built in Wuhan to treat those with the virus. Credit: AP

“It’s important to stress there is no cause for alarm to the community,” Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos told reporters on Saturday.

The man had spent his entire time in Melbourne with family, who have all been contacted and are being monitored.

Mikakos said the family had done everything right in terms of calling ahead to the medical centres.

“We’re very grateful for their cooperation,” Mikakos said.

The man arrived in Melbourne at 9am on China Southern Airlines flight CZ321 from Guangzhou.

All passengers who were on the same flight will be contacted.

Signs of the virus

Overnight, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade raised the level of travel advice for Wuhan and Hubei Province in China, where the virus originated, to “Level 4- do not travel”.

Australian Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy said it’s important for those who have recently arrived from Wuhan, and those in close contact with them, to watch for signs of the coronavirus.

“We don’t know exactly how long symptoms take to show after a person has been infected, but there is an incubation period and some patients will have very mild symptoms,” Professor Murphy said in a statement on Saturday.

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“Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, vomiting and difficulty breathing. Difficulty breathing is a sign of possible pneumonia and requires immediate medical attention.

“People who arrive in Australia from an international flight with these symptoms should alert their airline, or a biosecurity officer if they have disembarked.”

The latest case comes after Chinese authorities confirmed the death toll from coronavirus had risen to 41, with more than 1000 confirmed cases.

Five people in New South Wales are also being tested for the virus, which has spread to Europe and the US.

Two more suspected cases in Queensland and four in South Australia are being monitored.