Australia's chief medical officer has admitted that it is no longer possible to completely prevent people with the coronavirus from entering the country, citing concerns about outbreaks in Japan and South Korea.

Australia, one of the first countries to put restrictions on its borders in a bid to limit the spread of the virus, confirmed its first death from the disease on Sunday.

“It is no longer possible to absolutely prevent new cases coming in,” Reuters reported Brendan Murphy, Australia's Chief Medical Officer as saying.