Coronavirus Queensland: Queensland man, 83, dies taking state’s death toll to six

A Queensland man who was a passenger on a cruise ship has tragically died from coronavirus taking the state’s death toll to six. It comes as eight new cases were confirmed overnight with a total of 1,014 now recorded since the pandemic began.

A Queensland man has tragically died from coronavirus taking the state’s death toll to six.

Queensland has recorded eight new cases overnight taking the state’s total to 1,014 of which 738 people have now recovered.

An 83-year-old Queensland man contracted the virus after returning from a cruise and died in Sydney yesterday.

He disembarked the Celebrity Eclipse cruise ship in Sydney, and died in quarantine.

Health Minister Steven Miles sent his condolences to the family of the man.

He said the work of Queenslanders had lowered the number of cases and deaths.

“We were expecting widespread community transmission in late April,” he said.

Coronavirus cases have continued to flatten across Queensland. (Photo: Mauro Scrobogna/LaPresse via AP)

“There is a family today in Queensland grieving the loss of a loved one due to COVID-19.

“It’s quite incredible to think that when I was seeing the modelling through February and March it was projecting that we would have thousands of active cases, that we would have already had dozens of deaths.

“As tragic as the loss of another life is, it reminds us that the effort we are all going to has already saved the lives of dozens of Queenslanders.

“There are Queenslanders now with their grandparents alive who may not have been if we had not taken the steps we’d taken, if Queenslanders hadn’t banded together, implemented this social distancing and of course if our health workers hadn’t done that incredible work of getting our hospital system well prepared.”

Minister for Health Steven Miles. Photo: Annette Dew

He said there was nine patients in intensive care, with seven receiving ventilation.

Mr Miles acknowledged the ongoing economic crisis created by the pandemic and associated lockdowns.

He said countries without tough lockdown restrictions had also seen their economies struggle.

“It is not a choice between the economy and saving lives,” he said.

The state’s hotspot remains in Brisbane’s north where 232 people have been diagnosed with the virus, 75 of which have now recovered

The new cases come as Queensland makes plans for the children of ‘essential workers’ to return to school on Monday.

But it will be an entirely new environment for the students to what they left just a few weeks ago with tuckshops to be closed, ballgames banned and students to clean their own desks and chairs.

Meanwhile, the Palaszczuk Government has offered a $200 million rescue package to help save embattled airline Virgin Australia.

State Development Minister Cameron Dick has also challenged the federal government to step up and back Virgin and reverse its refusal to provide an assistance package.

The rescue bid is amid speculation Chinese Government-owned airlines are considering an offer to buy Virgin.