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A 24-year-old woman has become the fifth person to test positive to coronavirus in South Australia, just hours after a 40-year-old woman was confirmed as the fourth in the state.

SA Health this afternoon said the 24-year-old woman is not believed to be related to the 40-year-old woman and both had recently returned to the state from overseas.

The 40-year-old woman who travelled to Australia from Iran via Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines flight MH139, arriving in Adelaide on March 1, tested positive this morning.

She has since been admitted to the Flinders Medical Centre.

The 24-year-old will be admitted to a metropolitan hospital this evening, SA Health said.

Steven Marshall et al. posing for the camera: SA Premier Steven Marshall confirmed a woman had tested positive for coronavirus in Adelaide. (ABC News: Stacey Lee) © Provided by ABC NEWS SA Premier Steven Marshall confirmed a woman had tested positive for coronavirus in Adelaide. (ABC News: Stacey Lee) SA Health's chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier earlier said the 40-year-old woman was at home while they arranged for her to be taken to hospital.

"She has a child so we need to be thinking about both the care of the mother and also her infant, so it wouldn't necessarily be the right option to go to the Royal Adelaide [Hospital]," Ms Spurrier said.

"It's obviously quite important for us to also have that baby tested."

Iran became one of the first countries outside China to record a surge in coronavirus cases, with hundreds of people affected including the nation's deputy health minister and other high-ranking officials.

South Australian authorities are attempting to get in touch with any close contacts the woman had, including people who were on the same flight as her.

Three other people have tested positive to coronavirus in South Australia since the outbreak, including a couple from Wuhan, but all have since been cleared and discharged from hospital.

"As of 6:00am when I spoke with the Health Minister, I was informed there were no active cases of people living with the coronavirus in South Australia," South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said.

"We have had three people who tested positively to the coronavirus, they were isolated and subsequently discharged from hospital and are back in the community.

"Later this morning we received notification of a further positive test for coronavirus. This has just come to light.

"I can fully understand why there are increasing levels of anxiety regarding the coronavirus."

Dr Spurrier said the woman lives in the Adelaide metropolitan area, and said a decision on which hospital the woman would be sent to had not yet been made.

She also said it was currently unclear which flights the woman had been on.

"One of the things we are very keen to get are the actual flight details," Dr Spurrier said.

"Once this is available we will be immediately telling the public and what we would like members of the public to do if they were on the same flight is contact our Communicable Disease Control Branch [on 1300 232 272]."

Test result was 'strongly positive'

Dr Spurrier said the woman had been tested yesterday and the "strongly positive" result was flagged this morning.

She said the woman was currently being interviewed by health authorities, but would not comment on whether her neighbours had been told, nor which suburb the woman lives in.

"We will be making every effort possible to contact all of the potential close contacts of this person," she said.

"We are also at the moment working out which hospital to have this woman admitted to, and it obviously needs to be somewhere close to home suitable for her and her family.

"We are not providing anything which might break private confidentiality or privacy."

Pictures - Coronoavirus (COVID 19) outbreak

Dr Spurrier said SA Health was still awaiting results on two other people suspected of having the virus.

South Australia's other confirmed case was a 24-year-old who had been on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

The 24-year-old woman tested positive on arrival in Darwin from Japan on February 20.

"[She] was transferred to the Royal Adelaide Hospital where she remained in isolation for 14 days," SA Health said yesterday.

"People should present to their GP if they are displaying any symptoms of COVID-19 and have recently returned from mainland China or Iran.

"The Commonwealth has also advised foreign nationals who are in Iran on or after March 1, 2020, will not be allowed to enter Australia for 14 days, from the time they have left or transited through Iran."
At Microsoft News Australia we've partnered with the giving platform Benevity to raise funds for UNICEF: Donate now and help health workers in the battle against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Coronavirus Health Information Line
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