Authorities in Australia on Saturday confirmed its first case of the coronavirus from Wuhan, China, as more than 1,000 people worldwide are treated for the deadly infection.

In a news conference in Melbourne, Victoria's state Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said a Chinese man aged in his 50s who last week returned from China had contracted the newly identified coronavirus.

Mikakos added the patient tested positive for the infection after a series of tests in hospital on Saturday morning.

The vast majority of cases of the virus have been in or around the Chinese city of Wuhan or have involved people who visited the city.

In China, almost 1,300 people have been infected, including 41 deaths.

Cases have also been confirmed in Hong Kong, Macao, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Nepal, France and the US.

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