Authorities fear that Sydney doctor may have spread the coronavirus to a large number of colleagues and patients, as six more cases were confirmed in NSW overnight.
A total of 40 staff members from Ryde Hospital, including 13 doctors, 23 nurses and four other health workers, have been put on home isolation after coming into contact with the infected doctor.
“We still don’t know how he acquired the infection,” NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said.
“We are doing an investigation as we speak.
“He did not care for any of our positive cases but we are doing some additional investigations into what patients he saw, to see whether there were any undiagnosed cases.”
Authorities have said that the doctor came into contact with a “large and diverse” number of patients in the hospital.
Eight patients have been contacted by health authorities as they are believed to have been in contact with the doctor. None have presented symptoms of the coronavirus.
The infected doctor is currently in a stable condition at Westmead Hospital.
Six new coronavirus cases were confirmed in NSW overnight, including a human-to-human transmission affecting a woman who had not traveled overseas recently.
It is not known if the woman had been in contact with the infected doctor.
The other five cases had returned from Iran, Japan, South Korea and Singapore.
The total number of confirmed cases in Australia is 40. All but one are in a stable condition or have recovered.
