Australia confirms first case of coronavirus from China

The first case of the new coronavirus from China has been confirmed in Australia, Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos says.

The patient is a Chinese national in his 50s who had been in Wuhan before returning to Melbourne, the capital of the state of Victoria, on January 19, Mikakos says in a press conference.

He is in a stable condition and has been isolated to undergo treatment.

"It's important to stress there is no cause for alarm to the community," she adds. (dpa)