The number of people currently being investigated for the new coronavirus in NSW has jumped from six to 16, as health authorities encourage people with minor cold-like systems to come forward.
NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chad told reporters on Wednesday that authorities have found that the symptoms of the virus can be more varied than originally thought.
"Even if you have that bit of runny nose, you are feeling just unwell, please come forward because we want to both detect those cases but also it will help us in our understanding," she said, adding that testing had been broadened to include people who have visited the wider central Chinese Hubei province.
Five cases of the virus have so far been confirmed in Australia, including one woman and three men in NSW and a man in Victoria.Dr Chad said more than 40 people in NSW has so far been tested for the virus, in what she called a"precautionary approach". "We want visitors from China and the Hubei province, in particular, to feel very comfortable coming forward to get tested and diagnosed and giving them the reassurance that our health system will care for them," she said.
The announcement comes hours after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced plans to evacuate some of the hundreds of Australians currently trapped in Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, and send them to
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