Third coronavirus-related death in Australia after Sydney man dies

SYDNEY: A man in his 80s died in a Sydney hospital after testing positive to COVID-19, becoming the third coronavirus-related casualty in Australia, state health authorities said on Sunday (Mar 8).

The total number of coronavirus cases has topped 70 in Australia with state and federal health authorities fretting over the risk of more widespread community transmission.

The outbreak has killed more than 3,400 people worldwide, spreading across more than 90 nations outside China.

New South Wales Health said in a statement, it was “continuing to find and respond to cases as they are diagnosed to slow any spread of COVID-19 in the community.”

Federal Minister for Health Greg Hunt will hold a press conference later in the day to announce the government has secured an additional 54 million face masks to help protect medical workers.

On Saturday, the government released an extra 260,000 surgical masks from federal stockpile to primary health networks.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the novel coronavirus and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram