A passenger on the Ruby Princess cruise ship has become Australia's eighth coronavirus fatality after testing positive to the disease last week.
The woman, aged in her 70s, was one of the first passengers from the cruise ship to be diagnosed after it docked in Sydney on Thursday, New South Wales health authorities confirmed on Tuesday.
Seven of Australia's eight coronavirus-related deaths have been in NSW. On Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases in the state jumped by 149 to 818 - the biggest one-day increase in Australia since the beginning of the outbreak.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 1,895 cases have been recorded across Australia as Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and the Northern Territory close their borders to domestic travellers.
Of those confirmed COVID-19 cases, 133 were passengers on the Ruby Princess.
There have been widespread concern about why passengers were allowed to disembark the ship at Sydney Harbour despite some showing symptoms of COVID-19.
But NSW authorities have repeatedly insisted that proper precautions were taken to monitor those on board after the ship became one of four given an exemption to land after the government introduced a country-wide 30-day ban on foreign cruises.
The Ruby Princess had 1,148 crew and 2,647 passengers on board when it travelled to New Zealand before returning to Sydney Harbour, but NSW chief medical officer Kerry Chant said the ship was deemed "low risk" because of its route.
All those aboard the ship were asked to self-isolate for 14 days when four positive cases were confirmed a day after passengers disembarked.
National tally hits 2000
The eighth death comes as the national tally for coronavirus cases surpasses 2,000 and officials consider .
on Tuesday morning. Queensland reported another 78 cases, mostly in the southeast corner of the state.
South Australia recorded an additional 36 while Western Australia confirmed an extra 35 cases.
The national tally now stands at at least 2,063.
Coronavirus symptoms can range from mild illness to pneumonia, according to the Federal Government's website, and can include a fever, coughing, sore throat, fatigue and shortness of breath.
Only people who have recently travelled from overseas or have been in contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case and experienced symptoms within 14 days are currently advised to be tested.
But on Monday night, Australia's deputy chief medical officer told ABC's Q+A that the guidelines for COVID-19 testing due to the strict limits on overseas travel.
If you believe you may have contracted the virus, call your doctor (don’t visit) or contact the national Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
If you are struggling to breathe or experiencing a medical emergency, call 000.
