Boy released from coronavirus quarantine at Aussie hospital

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SYDNEY - An eight-year-old COVID-19 patient was released from an Australian hospital on Wednesday evening having been completely cleared of the disease, authorities announced.

The boy was part of a Chinese tour group who were travelling in the Australian State of Queensland earlier in the month when one of the nine members became sick.

All members of the group were placed into isolation, while the boy, who tested positive for COVID-19, was placed into a separate isolation -- as were four others who also tested positive and remained in hospital on Thursday.

"I can announce the first family who have been quarantined at the Gold Coast University Hospital were discharged (on Wednesday night)," Queensland State Health Minister Steven Miles said.

"Their 8-year-old son has recovered from the coronavirus and is no doubt very excited to get out of hospital."

During his time in the hospital the boy was looked after by his father who did not contract the virus but will now nonetheless be required to spend 14 days in isolation to ensure he is not at risk of spreading it.

"There is no evidence this person has been unwell and they are showing no signs of having contracted the virus. They remain in isolation out of hospital as a precaution," Queensland's chief health officer, Dr Jeannette Young explained.

There are still four people in the Gold Coast hospital with COVID-19, all from the same tour group -- two men aged 44 and 37, and two women, aged 42 and 37.

Young said that all those patients were doing well and would continue to undergo assessments over coming days to be released from hospital when safe to do so.

"The remaining Gold Coast University Hospital patients are well. It is possible further family groups may be released over the next week when medically cleared and some may require similar further quarantine," Young said.