Coronavirus Qld: Fear for silent Covid cluster as Delta strain spreads

Queensland could be riddled with dozens of Covid-19 virus cases as authorities scramble to contain a rapid outbreak that already threatens to extend the snap three-day lockdown affecting about 4 million residents.

Queensland could be riddled with dozens of Covid-19 virus cases as authorities scramble to contain a rapid outbreak that threatens to extend the snap three-day lockdown affecting about 4 million residents.

Southeast Queensland, Townsville, Palm Island and Magnetic Island residents will remain locked down until at least 6pm Friday with contact tracers working hard to douse the spread of the dangerous Delta variant.

The lockdown – southeast Queensland’s third this year - was sparked by a 19-year-old Prince Charles Hospital casual receptionist who travelled to Townsville and Magnetic Island while infectious. Her school-aged brother has also tested positive to the virus.

The unvaccinated woman, who worked in the Covid-19 section of the hospital, but sat outside the ward, had been infectious in the community since June 19 and developed symptoms two days later.

Queensland's Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young. (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)

She then worked two shifts at the hospital on Tuesday and Wednesday last week before flying to Townsville on Thursday at 10.10am on VA 369.

One of her friends and two family members, including her brother who tested positive yesterday, are sick.

The woman’s brother attended St Patrick’s College at Shorncliffe but was not at school during the “probable transmission period”.

However, college principal Chris Mayes said in a letter to parents and caregivers the boy was part of a “tennis co-curricular program” on Monday.

“Any students or staff who are deemed to be close contacts will be contacted by Queensland Health with advice to what they will need to do,” Mr Mayes wrote.

An anxious Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who has ordered an investigation into why the worker had not received any Covid-19 vaccine, said Queensland would take no chances, declaring it was time “to act quickly and act fast” to quash the Delta variant.

“I don’t want to see people end up in our hospitals on ventilators,” she said. “That’s the last thing, I think, anyone wants to see.

“The risk is real … we need to go hard.

“There will be a lockdown for three days and I don’t want it to be 30 days, we’ve just got to do this.”

Panic buyers stripped shelves at supermarkets ahead of the lockdown.

Authorities fear the pandemic virus could ignite from one of four ongoing exposure fronts with concerns remaining over returned Northern Territory miners, a Covid-positive Virgin flight attendant, the Portuguese Family Centre restaurant outbreak and potential cases from the Prince Charles Hospital worker.

Infectious disease physician Paul Griffin said the prospect of more Covid cases in the community, particularly linked to the hospital worker, was “relatively high”.

“This certainly has the potential to be very significant,” Associate Professor Griffin said.

“One of the most concerning aspects of the situation is just how mobile that person has been in the community.

“The amount of time is significant. We could be lucky and the people that we’re talking about could be on the less infectious side just by sheer chance or … they could be super spreaders and we see many cases.

“There’s no question the Delta variant is more infectious. Having someone in the community, or potentially a number of people with that highly infectious strain, it is a genuine concern.”

Prof Griffin said dozens of cases emanating from the Prince Charles Hospital worker was “definitely a possibility”.

“I wouldn’t say that’s the expectation, necessarily, but it’s certainly a possibility,” he said.

The University of Queensland professor backed the decision to lockdown parts of the state to allow contact tracers to get on top of any potential spread of the virus.

“It’s always tricky, the decision to lockdown,” Prof Griffin said.

“You can never do it perfectly because if you do it well, early, everyone will say you didn’t need to do it.

“And if you do it too late, they’ll say you missed the opportunity. In hindsight, no-one will ever say the lockdown was perfect. There’ll always be criticism.”

Chief health officer Jeannette Young said she could not be definitive about how the Prince Charles Hospital worker caught the virus, but was “furiously trying to get more information”. Last night, further sequencing work was being undertaken to determine if the case was linked to “any known cases”.

A separate case reported in the community yesterday was an Ipswich man who had recently returned from the NT Granites gold mine. However, he is considered “low risk”.

Test results are still pending from some of the 170 Granites workers who have returned to Queensland and are self isolating.’

The Prince Charles Hospital, where an infected woman worked and was not vaccinated.

Under the three-day lockdown directives, people can only leave home to buy essential groceries and medications, work or study that cannot be done at home, exercise, to provide care to a vulnerable person or for medical appointments, including vaccinations.

Aged care, prisons, hospitals and disability accommodation are closed to visitors. Restaurants and cafes can only open for takeaway.

Visitors at homes are limited to two and only 20 people will be allowed at funerals. Weddings have been capped at 10, including the celebrant and witnesses.

The teenage hospital worker who triggered the lockdown attended Sandgate Woolworths between 11.20am-12pm on June 20 and The Bay Health Club between 3.10-4pm.

After flying to Townsville on June 24, she visited the Brewery Cafe at the airport between 12.20-1.20pm before leaving for Magnetic Island.

The woman travelled back from the island to Townsville on Sunday to attend the Flinders Street markets between 10.30am-12pm. She flew back to Brisbane on flight VA374, arriving at 2.55pm.

Fever clinics will be established at Magnetic Island and in Townsville.

“It is a significant risk,” Dr Young said.

“I’m just being very, very cautious because we’re in the middle of a holiday period.

“We’ve had a lot of movement up there (in Townsville) so we’re just asking everyone up there to come out and get tested.”