Travel advice for Italy lifted as eighth Australian onboard the Diamond Princess diagnosed with coronavirus

The travel advice for Australian's heading to Northern Italy has been lifted amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the advice specifically relates to the provinces for Lombardi and Vietto after more than 330 cases have been diagnosed with 11 deaths.

It is the highest number of coronavirus infections outside Asia.

Australia's Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy said the government is monitoring outbreaks in China and Korea that could potentially make its way here.

"We have no community transmission of this virus in Australia, and that's a really important message for the public: There is no reason to change anything you do, to wear masks or behave in a way that is different from normal," Professor Murphy said.

"But we are preparing. We are preparing because of the developing international scenario."

Mr Hunt also said a Victorian man who was onboard the Diamond Princess has become the eighth Australian on the ship to be diagnosed with coronavirus.

The man, who is said to be well and who was already in isolation, is the partner of a woman who was earlier diagnosed as one of the seven Australians onboard with the coronavirus infection.

Mr Hunt said one more person – a potential ninth case – is currently being tested for the disease.

"I can confirm that we have an eighth case from the Diamond Princess group that have been in quarantine. It is a Victorian man," he said. 

"His partner had previously been diagnosed, so he had already been in quarantine as part of the Diamond Princess and already in isolation, having travelled to Victoria with his partner.

"The director of the National Trauma Centre advised me that a further case is being investigated, but they are carrying out many tests on a routine basis and if that's either positive or negative will provide the answer was testing has been."

Prof. Murphy said the majority of people who become infected with COVID-19 only contract a relatively minor disease.

"We know the majority of people who get Covid-19 have a very mild disease," he said. 

"That's the great majority of people. But we also know a small proportion do get severe disease and we do have two be prepared for all eventualities and that preparation, which has really been going for years on the basis of our pandemic flu plans, which we've had for a long time."

LATEST CORONAVIRUS FIGURES

The World Health Organisation has named the illness COVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and the coronavirus that causes it.

Here are the latest figures reported by each government's health authority as of Tuesday in Beijing:

- Mainland China: 2663 deaths among 77,658 cases, mostly in the central province of Hubei

- Hong Kong: 81 cases, 2 deaths

- Macao: 10 cases

- Japan: 850 cases, including 691 from a cruise ship docked in Yokohama, 4 deaths

- South Korea: 977 cases, 10 deaths

- Italy: 229 cases, 7 deaths

- Singapore: 89 cases

- Iran: 61 cases, 12 deaths

- United States: 35 cases; separately, 1 US citizen died in China

- Thailand: 37 cases

- Taiwan: 30 cases, 1 death

- Australia: 23 cases

- Malaysia: 22

- Vietnam: 16 cases

- Germany: 16

- France: 12 cases, 1 death

- United Arab Emirates: 13 cases

- United Kingdom: 13

- Canada: 11

- Bahrain: 8

- Philippines: 3 cases, 1 death

- Kuwait: 3 cases

- India: 3

- Russia: 2

- Spain: 3

- Israel: 2

- Oman: 2

- Lebanon: 1

- Belgium: 1

- Nepal: 1

- Sri Lanka: 1

- Sweden: 1

- Cambodia: 1

- Finland: 1

- Egypt: 1

- Afghanistan: 1

Figures via AAP