Australia potentially faces widespread Covid-19 infections doctors say, warning that chronically overstretched public health systems could be overwhelmed in the event of a severe pandemic.
Up to 70% of Australians could be infected in the event of a severe pandemic, though governments and health professionals have stressed that most healthy people will only experience the illness as a mild to moderate cold.
Globally, there have been more than 83,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, leading to more than 2,800 deaths. The vast majority of infections and deaths have been in mainland China, though fast-spreading outbreaks have emerged in Iran, South Korea, and northern Italy.
