Australians assured hospitals can cope

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has assured Australians the nation's hospitals are "well and truly ready" to cope with the coronavirus.

During his daily briefing on the effects of COVID-19 on the country, Professor Kelly said the healthcare system is very adaptable and that intensive care capacity has doubled.

He insisted intensive care beds are available with ventilators right now to deal with people if they require it.

But he added those serious cases are a very small component of the 3400 infections now in Australia at a total of 30.

"We have doubled the bed capacity in Australia right now and we are ready, well and truly ready," Prof Kelly said.

There has been speculation, particularly on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, that beds could run out on April 10 as the virus rapidly spreads,

"That is not the case," Prof Kelly said.