Who is most at risk?

Some people are more at risk than others of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19.

Which groups are especially at risk?

In Australia, the people most at risk of getting the virus are:

• travellers who have recently been overseas
• those who have been in close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19
• people in detention facilities
• people in group residential settings

Advice for travellers

People who are more at risk of serious illness if they get the virus are:

• people with compromised immune systems (eg. cancer)
• elderly people
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as they have higher rates of chronic illness
• people with chronic medical conditions
• people in group residential settings
• very young children and babies*

*At this stage the risk to children and babies, and the role children play in the transmission of COVID-19, is not clear. However, there has so far been a low rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases among children, relative to the broader population.

See  advice for people at risk.

To help protect people most at risk, there are limits on public gatherings.