‘Critical’ plea for testing as 147 close contacts of cleaner identified
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has issued an urgent plea for anyone who may have come in contact with two people in southeast Queensland who have the mutant UK strain of COVID-19 to come forward for testing.
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Queensland’s Chief Health Officer says it’s too early to say what the new UK variant of coronavirus would mean for the Greater Brisbane community but said it was “critically important” that people come forward for testing – including those not showing symptoms who may have crossed paths with the state’s two mutant strain cases.
It comes after no new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the state in the 24 hours to this morning.
No new cases were recorded on Saturday either – the first full day of a three-day lockdown of Greater Brisbane enforced after a cleaner at an inner-city quarantine hotel tested positive to the mutant strain.
During this morning’s update Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said 147 close contacts of the cleaner had been identified, with 112 of them testing negative for the virus.
The remaining contacts have been tested but results have not yet come through.
All close contacts were now in quarantine.
While Dr Young said results so far were “fantastic” she has called for those who may have come in contact with the worker, as well as people in Maleny who may have crossed paths with a woman who flew from Melbourne to Brisbane with the UK strain, to come forward for testing.
“There are some people I want, and need, to come forward and get tested who don’t have symptoms,” she said, after reiterating the Premier’s call for all residents with any symptoms to be tested.
“It is so critical.”
Dr Young urged anybody on the Altandi to Roma St Station train at 7am on January 2 and Central to Altandi train at 4pm on January 2 to get tested.
The plea was also for anyone who visited Woolworths Calamvale North on January 3, 11am-noon. It was also for anyone who went to Coles at Sunnybank Hills Shoppingtown on January 5, 7.30am-8am, and Nextra newsagency at Sunnybank Hils on January 5, 8am-8.15am.
“If you’ve been to any of those places it is still absolutely critical, please immediately come forward and get tested,” Dr Young said.
“We need to see you.”
Dr Young said 187 people had so far come forward for testing in relation to the cleaner, with 147 of those being close contacts. Of the 187 total, 122 have tested negative while results are pending for the rest.
Dr Young said “we now need to work through the next 14 days with each of these people”.
She also urged anyone who may have crossed paths with the Maleny case to come forward for testing, including anyone who went to Cappriccios Italian Pizza Restaurant on January 6, between 6.30pm and 7pm, Purple Palate Cellars between 4.15pm and 4.25pm on January 7 as well as the Maleny Woolworths supermarket on the same day between 4.30pm and 4.50pm.
Anyone in the Maleny area with any symptoms has also been urged to come forward for testing.
Dr Young said health authorities wanted to test passengers on Jetstar flight JQ570 that arrived into Brisbane from Melbourne at 11pm but she said Queensland Health had already contacted all passengers.
Dr Young said she was “relieved” the UK strain had not been found in further testing, but said it was “too early” to celebrate.
“It shows Queenslanders are fantastic at responding,” she said.
“We acted very very fast.
“It is too early to say what this new virus means.
“This is the first time we’ve seen this in our community in Australia.”
Ms Palaszczuk confirmed today confirmed that Queensland’s international arrivals would now be capped at 500 a week, down from 1000.
Ms Palaszczuk also thanked Queenslanders for their “great response” in testing over the weekend, with more than 19,000 tested in the 24 hours to Sunday morning.
“They are responding in droves,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
Following public health alerts being issued on Saturday for places visited by the two cases of the UK variant of coronavirus, Queensland Health issued an alert regarding viral fragments of COVID-19 being detected at a wastewater treatment plant at Redcliffe on Friday.
“This does not mean we have new cases of COVID-19 in these communities, but we are treating this detection with absolute caution,” Dr Young said, urging people in Clontarf, Deception Bay, Kippa-Ring, Margate, Newport, Redcliffe, Rothwell, Scarborough and Woody Point to get tested and isolate if feeling unwell.
Elsewhere, three new locally acquired COVID-19 cases were reported in NSW in the 24 hours to 8pm Saturday.
Victoria has recorded its fourth consecutive day of no new locally transmitted coronavirus cases.
QUEENSLAND HEALTH ALERTS FOR TESTING:
SOUTHSIDE BRISBANE
An urgent public health alert was issued late on Saturday evening, ordering anyone who had visited Coles at Sunnybank Hills Shoppingtown on January 5, 7.30am-8am, or Woolworths Calamvale North on January 3, 11am-noon to get tested and quarantine for 14 days, regardless of the test result.
The Public Health Unit confirmed anyone who attended these venues at these times was now considered to be a close contact with a Brisbane quarantine hotel cleaner who tested positive to the UK variant.
Authorities have also asked anybody on the Altandi to Roma St Station train at 7am on January 2 and Central to Altandi train at 4pm on January 2 to get tested.
MALENY
Queensland Health has urged anyone who visited the Cappriccios Italian Pizza Restaurant while getting takeaway and waiting outside on January 6, between 6.30pm and 7pm, to get tested.
They have also issued the same advice for those who visited Purple Palate Cellars between 4.15pm and 4.25pm on January 7 as well as the Maleny Woolworths supermarket on the same day between 4.30pm and 4.50pm.
Anyone in the Maleny area with any symptoms has also been urged to come forward for testing.
Dr Young said health authorities wanted to test passengers on Jetstar flight JQ570 that arrived into Brisbane from Melbourne at 11pm but she said Queensland Health had already contacted all passengers.
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