Thanks for logging in.

You can now click/tap WATCH to start the live stream.

Thanks for logging in.

You can now click/tap LISTEN to start the live stream.

Thanks for logging in.

You can now click/tap LATEST NEWS to start the live stream.

LISTEN
Watch
on air now

Create a 2GB account today!

You can now log in once to listen live, watch live, join competitions, enjoy exclusive 2GB content and other benefits.


Joining is free and easy.

You will soon need to register to keep streaming 2GB online. Register an account or skip for now to do it later.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Australia’s Chief Medical Officer warns coronavirus toll will rise

Article image for Australia’s Chief Medical Officer warns coronavirus toll will rise

The nation’s chief medical officer says it is very likely we’ll see more cases of coronavirus here in Australia.

The World Health Organisation says the outbreak should be treated as “public enemy number one” and has now formally named the strain Covid-19.

A two-day meeting is underway in Geneva to discuss the global response to the deadly outbreak, with more than 43,000 confirmed cases worldwide and over 1000 deaths.

Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy tells Alan Jones the numbers could be significantly higher.

“We’re pretty confident that in the epicentre in Hubei Province in China we believe there are probably a significantly larger number of cases than the Chinese have detected.

“We don’t know whether it’s 10 or 50 per cent [more], it’s hard to say.”

But he’s warning Australians not to panic, saying there is still no evidence of community transmission here.

“All of the 15 cases we’ve had have come from mainland China.

“In some cases, they may have transmitted to themselves in a small minibus here but there’s been no evidence of community transmission in Australia but it’s too early to say that at the moment.”

Professor Murphy says a vaccine for Covid-19 could take up to 18 months to create.

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview

 

Image: SMH

Advertisement