Symptoms of coronavirus 2019. Image Wikipedia.
A 44 year old is currently in isolation at the Gold Coast University Hospital with the first case of novel coronavirus in Queensland.
Queensland Health released a statement yesterday revealing that the Chinese national is from the city of Wuhan (Hubei Province) and is in a stable condition.
‘The novel coronavirus (also called 2019-nCoV) is a new strain of coronavirus affecting humans,’ say Queensland Health in their press release.
‘Some coronaviruses can cause illness similar to the common cold and others can cause more serious diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).’
Self-isolation
If you have travelled to China in the last 14 days and have had contact with any confirmed cases of novel coronavirus you must self-isolate for 14 days following exposure. If you have returned from visiting Hubei Province of China you need to self-isolate for 14 days after leaving Hubei Province.
Self-isolation means staying at home and not accepting visitors.
Do not attend school
Anyone who has returned recently from China or Hong Kong should not attend school, childcare or TAFE for 14 days after leaving China or Hong Kong. This includes students, teachers and anyone who works or attends these facilities.
Anyone with fever, flu-like symptoms such as a cough, sore throat or headache or difficulty breathing who has travelled to or through China in the past 14 days should visit a GP immediately. Ensure you call ahead and advise of your symptoms and recent travel before your appointment so the clinic can take necessary precautions.
Protecting yourself and others from the novel coronavirus
To protect yourself and others from infection practice good hand and respiratory hygiene including:
- Cleaning hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rubs
- Covering your nose and mouth with a tissue or flexed elbow when coughing or sneezing
- Avoiding contact with anyone who has flu-like symptoms
- Avoiding unprotected contact with live wild or farm animals.
More information
- For global up-to-date information on Coronavirus please visit the WHO.
- Up-to-date Australian information and resources (including fact sheets) on Novel Coronavirus can be found on the Australian Government Department of Health website.
- If you have travelled to China in the last 14 days and are unwell you can call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) for health advice.
I was told by an employee at the Gold Coast hospital they have 5 confirmed cases of coronavirus there right now.
What position does this employee hold?
Wow, isolation. What is the meaning of the word? It means to be isolated.
No human contact for 14 days means the bed does not get made, no renewal of sheets or clothing, no cleaning of the room, no delivery of meals, and we are a civil society.
Not necessarily, precautionary procedures can be implemented. Your post has the smell of panic. Panic we don’t need.
They need a new word other than “isolation” because that word has a particular meaning.
Are you serious?!
People are isolated in hospitals everyday fir many different reasons- doesn’t mean they are neglected! Our health teams don their PPE and tend to the patients needs as usual!
Why was a flight on Tiger Air direct to Melbourne then Gold Coast from WUHAN allowed to LAND???
IN AUSTRALIA
Well perhaps I can answer that Mary ,
That would be because we have no-one at home at the top in this country.
Despite the fact that knowledge of this virus was available last year, and evidence of the deadly effects and uncontrollable spread in China, had made it impossible for the Chinese not to act, our devoted leaders have been running around in ever diminishing circles, in an effort to prevent embarrassing China or ,God Forbid, curtailing the lucrative sale of degrees and Australian citizenship to wealthy Chinese . And…. the thrust of their response is to fly in another 600 from Wuhan, this is after presiding over weeks of flights (six per day of 160 passengers each into Sydney) This is sold as a humanitarian evacuation of children from a dangerous environment, but is merely importation of the deadly threat .
DO NOT rely on the Authorities , they do not exist ! G”)
We’re lucky to have a good medical system in Australia. Need to make sure it’s not downgraded like the now non existent quarrantine facilities.
Unbelievable the lack of preparedness for situations like this that are increasingly likely with rapidly expanding populations and travel.