The Department of Health has today confirmed a fourth positive test for COVID-19 (Coronavirus) in Western Australia.
WA's Chief Health Officer Dr Andrew Robertson said a woman in her 70s from Perth's western suburbs, who returned from travelling to Cuba and the UK on a direct flight from London Heathrow, returned a positive test for COVID-19 overnight.
She arrived back in Perth at 12:30pm Thursday 5 March on Qantas flight QF 10.
She experienced mild symptoms on Friday and phoned her GP to arrange testing for COVID-19, which was performed at a PathWest centre later that day.
The woman, who was not believed to be high risk, did attend a concert at the Perth Concert Hall last night (Saturday).
The laboratory test returned positive late last night (Saturday). The woman is now in a stable condition in self-isolation at home.
The Department of Health is urging people to remain home and self-isolate, if they are undergoing testing, until the test results are provided, which can take up to 48 hours.
Dr Robertson said the Department was working with the airline and Australian Border Force to contact trace passengers on the Qantas flight according to public health protocols, as well as people who may have been in close contact with her at the Perth Concert Hall or elsewhere before she entered self-isolation.
On flights, close contacts are considered to be those who were seated in the same row as, or in the two rows in front or two rows behind, a confirmed COVID-19 case.
WA's second COVID-19 case, Mrs Kwan, has fully recovered and was discharged from hospital this morning. She is no longer required to self-isolate at home.
Dr Robertson reminded Western Australians that while there was still no local transmission of COVID-19 – all four cases have been people who contracted the illness overseas and the number of countries with confirmed cases was increasing.
Due to the increase in countries with confirmed cases of COVID-19, people who have recently travelled internationally and exhibit flu-like symptoms are urged to phone their medical provider to seek advice.
He said the Department continued to work around the clock to minimise the risk of community spread and reassured people the risk of contracting COVID-19 in Western Australia was currently low.
"Unless you have travelled overseas and have flu-like symptoms, such as cough and/or fever, you do not need to seek medical attention," he said.
"We are urging people to leave doctor and hospital appointments for those who really need them."
In WA, there have been 1665 negative test results on people tested locally for COVID-19.
See WA Health's www.healthywa.wa.gov.au website for the latest information on COVID-19.
