A senior member of the Australian government, home affairs minister Peter Dutton, has tested positive for coronavirus, he said on Friday.
Mr Dutton, who sits on the national security committee, said he woke up with a “temperature and sore throat”.
He said he immediately contacted his local health department in Queensland and is now in hospital.
There are currently 156 confirmed cases in Australia, including US actor Tom Hanks, who is in Queensland.
Hanks is there with his wife Rita Wilson – who also has the virus – to make a film about Elvis Presley.
Three people in Australia have died from the virus so far, but health officials warn that millions more are likely to contract the virus within the next six months.
“We’re anticipating 20% of the population in the first wave to be affected,” said Kerry Chant, the chief medical officer for the New South Wales (NSW) state government, according to media reports.
More than 125,000 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in 118 countries around the world, according to the World Health Organization.
(Source: Agency)
