Australia government says growth rate of coronavirus infection slows

FILE PHOTO: A worker cleans the mostly deserted waterfront area of the Sydney Opera House, in the wake of New South Wales implementing measures shutting down non-essential businesses and moving toward harsh penalties to enforce self-isolation as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) reached what the state's premier calls a "critical stage" in Australia, March 26, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Australia's health minister said on Sunday there were "early, positive signs" of a slowdown in the growth rate in new coronavirus infections in the country, with the growth rate approximately halving over the past week.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the slower growth in new inflections showed social distancing measures were working.

"This time last week the rate of increase on cases was up around 25% to 30% a day," Morrison told a press conference.

"That rate now over the last few days has fallen to about 13% - 15%. Now, they are still strong rates of increase, no doubt about that."

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly and John Mair; Editing by Daniel Wallis)