Deputy Premier Steven Miles provides update on Queensland’s new Covid cases

Queensland has recorded three new Covid-19 cases overnight, including one mystery case, while new enhanced restrictions will be applied to the border zone after another NSW hotspot was declared.

Authorities are urging people in Brisbane’s north to get tested after a mystery case was detected in a woman who had been infectious in the community for 10 days.

The mystery case was among three detected overnight, with the other two being overseas acquired and detected in hotel quarantine.

It is expected the rapidly growing list of Queensland exposure sites will continue to grow as more details on the mystery case come to light.

The mystery locally acquired case is a woman in her 50s from Fitzgibbon who has been infectious in the community since September 23.

The woman is fully vaccinated, with all members of her household so far testing negative.

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said she wants anyone living in the areas of the latest exposure sites to go and get tested immediately if they have any symptoms.

“We do ask anyone who lives particularly in the northern part of Brisbane to come forward,” she said.

Authorities are waiting on genome sequencing to determine how the woman contracted the virus because at the moment there are no links between the current cases.

Dr Young said she was reassured by high numbers of testing.

“I am reasonably reassured by that,” she said.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said enhanced restrictions would return to the Queensland border after Lismore was declared a hotspot.

Dr Young urged Queenslanders to limit travelling to northern NSW until the cases in that region are brought under control.

Mr Miles said compliance with mask wearing at Sunday night’s NRL grand Final at Suncorp Stadium was very high

He said most of the people at the stadium had food or drink and removed their masks, following the same rules as hospitality venues.

Dr Young said hospitals were starting to mandate vaccinations, with a “superb” result so far.

She said Queensland had yet to reach 100 per cent vaccination rate in aged care facilities, adding that once the target was reached, restrictions on those facilities would be lifted.

Dr Young said due to being one of the state’s most vulnerable sectors, restrictions were necessary to protect residents.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles. Picture: Dan Peled

Mr Miles said hospitals were well-equipped and prepared for “whatever might come”.

There are 26 active cases in Queensland, with 14,983 vaccinations done yesterday.

Despite no new cases on Sunday morning, health authorities updated exposure sites overnight to include a number of massage parlours and Westfield Chermside shopping centre.

It comes after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Dr Young issued conflicting statements around the readiness of Queensland hospital to handle an influx of Covid cases once the state’s borders reopen.

Ms Palaszczuk on Sunday said no hospital system in the country was ready, before being corrected by Dr Young, who said Queensland was ready.