Australia records first coronavirus death

Health authorities on Sunday confirmed the first coronavirus related death in the country.

A 78-year-old man from Perth, the capital of West Australia, lost his life at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning, Sydney Morning Herald reported.

He was evacuated from Darwin with his wife, who has also tested positive for the virus, earlier this month and arrived back in Perth on February 21.

They were two of 164 Australians flown out of Japan and placed in isolation at Howard Springs after being quarantined aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship. His wife, meanwhile, remained in a stable condition in the hospital.

The Morrison government has put a travel ban on people arriving from Italy and Iran, with effect from Sunday, due to the country's "high death rate" from coronavirus as it tries to stem the flow of the disease into Australia.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt on Sunday said he had asked deputy chief medical officer, Professor Paul Kelly to consider the appropriate level of travel advice for Italy.