Please attribute the below to Dr Jeannette Young, Chief Health Officer:
20 February 2020
Queensland Health is pleased to report that the first of the state’s confirmed novel coronavirus (COVID-19) patients has left hospital, having recovered.
An 8-year-old-boy, a Chinese national from Wuhan who was confirmed to have novel coronavirus in early February, left hospital with his family last night (Wednesday).
I want to provide reassurance to the Gold Coast community that the patient has been clinically cleared by their team and is 100 per cent fit to leave hospital. Gold Coast University Hospital staff are doing a tremendous job treating these patients. And the efforts of Gold Coast and the entire Queensland community have been amazing in helping fight the spread of this virus.
One of the members of this family will remain in quarantine outside of hospital for a short period while they clear the 14-day isolation period.
There is no evidence this person has been unwell and they are showing no signs of having contracted the virus. They remain in isolation out of hospital as a precaution.
There have still only been five confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Queensland, the most recent being identified two weeks ago. The remaining Gold Coast University Hospital patients are well. It is possible further family groups may be released over the next week, when medically cleared, and some may require similar further quarantine.
If you have been to China in the last 14 days and feel unwell please immediately see a doctor. Please call ahead to the GP surgery or hospital to let them know you may be infected with the novel Coronavirus.
ENDS