Despite the lack of cases, people are still concerned about coronavirus in Australia. Here’s what you need to know

As of Thursday 27 February, 23 cases of coronavirus cases had been confirmed in Australia, with the federal department of health stating of those, 15 were people who had been in Wuhan, and 8 were passengers from the Diamond Princess repatriation flight from Japan, who are in quarantine in Darwin. 15 people have recovered and the rest are in a stable condition.

Despite the mild symptoms and comparatively few cases in Australia, some people are nonetheless concerned about what they should do if they begin to experience flu-like symptoms given there are 82,164 confirmed cases globally. There have been 2,801 deaths, the vast majority of those in mainland China. And while symptoms are often mild, the virus is highly infectious.

The Australian government and health authorities have encouraged the public to stay calm, with no cases of the virus transmitting between people in Australia. However, on Thursday the government announced they would be escalating their response to the global health issue.

“While the World Health Organisation is yet to declare the nature of the coronavirus and its move towards a pandemic phase, we believe the risk of a global pandemic is very much upon us,” Scott Morrison said.

What should I do if I feel unwell?

For current information, the federal department of health website is a good source.

Infectious diseases physician and Australian National University professor, Peter Collignon, said unless Australians had recently been in mainland China or had been in close contact with someone with a confirmed case of coronavirus, the advice for anyone feeling unwell was the same as for any other virus.

Chinese film director Chang Kai and family die from coronavirus Read more

“There is fear that’s not reasonable in Australia at the moment,” Collignon, who has also worked with the World Health Organisation, said. “You don’t need to worry, it’s not here and it’s not spreading. All cases in Australia have included an obvious contact with China or someone affected.

“So if you feel sick, do what you always do. Stay at home, ensure good handwashing, and take whatever makes you feel better whether that’s Panadol or your mother’s chicken broth.”

On Friday the government’s chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said while the virus was more infectious than influenza, it was generally more mild.

What if I have been to China recently?

Those who have been in China in the past 14 days or who know they have been in contact with someone with the virus should isolate themselves by staying home for 14 days, the department of health said.

If symptoms develop during this period, it is best to call a GP to book an appointment and alert them that you may be experiencing coronavirus so that staff can prepare ahead of time. If you believe your symptoms are coronavirus and warrant an emergency visit, it is still best to call ahead, mentioning travel history and symptoms.

You do not need to isolate yourself if you have only travelled in Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan.

Australia is well prepared for such viruses, which is why it has been well contained here. Information has been provided by the federal government in English and Chinese based on the latest medical advice, including through Facebook, Twitter, Weibo, WeChat and Chinese newspapers. Travellers arriving to Australia are being screened, and health departments are monitoring close contacts of confirmed cases every day.

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) said over the past two weeks, direct connections between cases in other countries and China had decreased. The effectiveness of the travel restrictions and self-quarantine procedures for people coming from mainland China had been effective so far, with a more than 60% reduction in travellers and no cases detected in more than 30,000 Australians returning from mainland China since 1 February.

“The only new COVID-19 detections in Australia in the last two weeks are eight cases in Australian passengers repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship,” the AHPPC said in a statement issued on Friday. “There remains no evidence of community transmission in Australia, with thousands of negative tests for COVID-19 in the last week alone. the risk to the Australian community from travellers from mainland China appears to have reduced significantly since the inception of travel restrictions. This could justify some further easing of travel restrictions.”

Should I start wearing a face mask in public?

While the virus has led to shortages of face masks and hand sanitiser, Collignon said face masks to specifically prevent coronavirus were unnecessary in places where there is no active transmission. The virus appeared to spread readily via direct contact rather than through air droplets alone, he said, adding it was important to ensure there were enough masks for those who needed them including immunocompromised people and health workers.

Chinese people in UK targeted with abuse over coronavirus Read more

He said while coronavirus, with a death rate of about 2% of confirmed cases, had a higher death rate than influenza, this estimate would change over time, because many mild cases would remain undetected. Many cases are asymptomatic. By comparison, the Sars virus had a global fatality rate of 11% by the end of the outbreak.

“The commonwealth is taking on a centralised role in monitoring the situation and sharing information and their advice has been consistent. There is no evidence this is spreading through the community,” Collignon said.

Professor Mary-Louise McLaws, a renowned infection control expert who worked alongside frontline health workers in China during the SARS outbreak, agreed; “I’m not an advocate for wearing surgical masks in public”. “We need to protect our supply for healthcare workers and for symptomatic patients,” she said. “You don’t need to wear a mask unless you’re symptomatic. I go on about the importance of hand hygiene which is so important and often overlooked.”

Anyone with concerns can call the coronavirus health information line on 1800 020 080.