Coronavirus Qld: COVID alert as case of community transmission confirmed

The Premier has confirmed a Brisbane man who has COVID acquired in the community has caught the potentially more contagious UK variant of the virus, with testing linking it back to the Princess Alexandra cluster earlier this month.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has confirmed a new case of COVID-19 community transmission in Brisbane is linked to a previous cluster, involving a local doctor.

The Premier took to social media on Friday night saying that genomic testing had linked the case of a 26-year-old Stafford man, with a previous cluster announced on March 12.

BREAKING: Genomic testing has confirmed that Queensland’s latest locally acquired COVID-19 case is linked to the previous cluster announced on March 12. #covid19pic.twitter.com/B0r7UbgoxF

— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) March 26, 2021

It was also confirmed that the man has the B117 or ‘UK’ variant that is considered more contagious.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said it was likely that an “unidentified intermediary” had passed the virus onto the Stafford man.

“We will know more in the next 24 hours, but in the meantime, those identified as visiting the locations in today’s Public Health Alert should immediately get tested and isolate until you receive your results. Additionally, anyone identified as a close contact will be contacted by the Public Health Unit and required to quarantine.

“The detail from the genomic testing is getting faster and better – we know that the gentleman who tested positive late on Thursday night was highly contagious.

“We therefore cannot afford to be complacent – if you have any COVID symptoms at all, please come forward and get tested.”

Although the Stafford man returned a positive COVID-19 test late on Thursday he had developed symptoms on Monday with health authorities fearing he was infectious in the community since last Friday.

The man tested positive at the Nundah respiratory clinic but had visited several locations across Greater Brisbane in the past seven days.

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE LIST OF EXPOSURE SITES

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said immediate action was being taken from 12pm today.

“Aged care, hospitals, prisons, people caring for people with a disability will be closed to visitors but this will be confined to the Brisbane City Council areas and to Moreton,” she said.

In total, there have been seven new cases in the past 24 hours - the one case of local transmission plus three from PNG, one historic and two from Ethiopia.

The six other cases were detected in hotel quarantine.

A health directive has been sent to hospitals in the region directing staff to wear masks.

The man visited Stafford Bunnings on March 22.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the new case should not cause alarm.

“We need to keep up our social distancing,” she said.

“We need to make sure we’re doing our really good hand hygiene.”

She issued a reminder to members of the public that precautions should still be taken to prevent the spread of the virus.

“People are not social distancing,” she said.

“Everyone is doing handshakes again.

“Now is not the time to break our social distancing.

Ms Palaszczuk said it was “absolutely critical” that people who were sick stay home and get tested, particularly over the next few days.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said it was “absolutely critical” that people who were sick stay home and get tested. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jono Searle

The man visited Mamma's Italian Restaurant at Redcliffe on March 21. Pic: Steve Pohlner

VENUES THE MAN HAS VISITED INCLUDE:

CASUAL CONTACTS - get tested immediately and quarantine until you get a negative result

Saturday, 20 March

12pm-2.16pm: Carindale shopping centre including Shinobi Ramen Noodle Shop, Fresh Sensations, Go Vita, Robins kitchen, Harris Scarfe and Kmart

2.45pm-3pm: Market Organics (store only), 190 Enoggera Road, Newmarket

9.20pm-9.25pm: Baskin Robbins, South Pine Rd, Everton Park

Sunday, 21 March

10.30am-10.46am: Genki Mart, South Pine Road Alderley

12.30pm- 3.10pm: Mama’s Italian, Redcliffe Parade, Redcliffe

Monday, 22 March

Worked at Paddington as a landscaper

12.20pm-12.25pm: Guzman y Gomez (drive through), 400 Stafford Road

12.40pm-12.50pm: Bunnings, Stafford Rd, Stafford

Tuesday, Wednesday, 23-24 March

Isolated at home

Thursday, 25 March

8.30am-8.45am: Aldi Stafford, Stafford City Shopping Centre

11.15am-11.40am Tested at Nundah Respiratory Clinic, Sandgate Road in Nundah

LOW RISK CONTACTS – monitor for symptoms

Saturday, 20 March

12.00pm-2.16pm Other parts of Westfield Carindale Shopping Centre not listed above

Sunday, 21 March

9.50am-10.20: Gasworks Plaza, Newstead

Monday, 22 March

7.55pm-8pm KFC Everton Park (drive through), Griffith St, Everton Park

Westfield Carindale has been listed as a high-risk area after the man visited multiple sites there on March 20. (AAP Image/John Pryke)

The man was moved to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital on Thursday night after test results were confirmed.

“On the 20th March at around 11am, he was in the Carindale shopping centre and visited quite a few places through there. That is a high risk area,” said Dr Young.

“Then at 8pm, he went to Baskin-Robbins ice-cream at Everton Park, then on the 21st, last Sunday at 9am, he went to the fresh food market stall at Gasworks at Newstead.

“Then at 12.20pm, he went to Mamma’s Italian waterfront restaurant at Redcliffe.”

“He started to get symptoms, he worked in Paddington, he works as a landscaper. That is good because most of his work happens outside so we will work with him about that. Then he went through Stafford at 12.30 that day to Guzman y Gomez.”

Dr Jeannette Young. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jono Searle

“But then at 1pm he went to Bunnings at Stafford. He stayed home all the next two days and went and got tested yesterday at the Nundah respiratory clinic at Sandgate Road in Nundah.

“And he also went to the Aldi at Stafford for about 10 minutes that day.”

Dr Young said the man had not been overseas recently.

She said people need to wear a mask if they couldn’t social distance.

Dr Young has urged people to enjoy the outdoors this weekend and to remember the one person per 2sq m rule when inside.

The man was tested at Nundah Village Family Practice on March 25.

“Please stay home if you’re sick,” she said.

It was only one week ago the Chief Health Officer assured Queenslanders there would be no need for lockdown if the state treats COVID outbreaks like it did during the most recent Hotel Grand Chancellor cluster.

Dr Jeannette Young’s positive attitude now relies on the people of Brisbane and Moreton Bay to again bring back that “textbook” response to the news today that a positive case of COVID-19 has been in the community.

Baskin-Robbins at Everton Park as been closed for deep cleaning.

The announcement came as new modelling from scientists shows partial lockdown and social distancing are still likely in the future.

They have discovered that to curb future outbreaks of the virus, social distancing compliance of up to 40 per cent of the population will be required.