COVID-19 update - 1 February 2021 - confirmation of historical case

The Department of Health has tonight confirmed that the suspected historical case that attended Fiona Stanley Hospital in recent days is indeed historical.

This means that the case was not infectious in Australia and at no time posed a public health risk to members of the public.

This historical case was widely publicised yesterday due to claims being made on social media.

The historical case returned to Australia from overseas travel and completed two weeks in hotel quarantine in New South Wales.

Initial PCR tests were very weak, in keeping with him being non-infectious and having infection some time ago. Subsequent test results received today confirm the person is now PCR negative, but serology positive. This provides confirmation that the case was historical and non-infectious in WA.

The Department of Health believes that person was infectious in Mexico in December 2020.

Given confirmation of the case being historical, the person has now been released from hotel quarantine.

Members of the public who attended Fiona Stanley Hospital and the same entertainment venues as the individual can be reassured, he did not pose a public health risk.

Visit WA Health’s HealthyWA website for the latest information on COVID-19. 

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