Australia should plan for the worst: Coronavirus pandemic ‘very likely, if not inevitable’

A key health adviser warns that the nation needs to be prepared, as South Korea reports 256 new cases
Jocelyn Wright
COVID-19

Australians need to be intellectually and emotionally prepared for a “very likely, if not inevitable” COVID-19 global pandemic, Victoria’s chief health officer says.

Despite his federal counterpart’s message of calm, Dr Brett Sutton on Sunday tweeted that he was “hoping for the best and planning for the worst”.

“It’s clear that with local transmission in several countries that a pandemic is very likely, if not inevitable,” he wrote after a spate of new cases were recorded.

— Chief Health Officer, Victoria (@VictorianCHO) February 23, 2020