Health Minister Steven Miles told radio host with croaky voice to get tested
Queensland’s Health Minister Steven Miles urged a Brisbane radio host with a croaky throat to get tested for COVID-19, despite having no other symptoms. It comes as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was this week criticised for delaying a test after losing her voice.
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Health Minister Steven Miles urged a Brisbane radio host to get tested for COVID-19 on live radio because he had a croaky throat, despite having no other symptoms.
It comes after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was defended for getting a test late Wednesday after having complained of losing her voice two days earlier.
In a radio interview with popular Brisbane station 97.3FM last month, Robin Bailey asked Mr Miles whether co-host Terry Hansen, who had a croaky voice, should go home.
Caught a croak? No pressure to get tested
Questions asked about croaky Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk
Mr Hansen said he had no other symptoms.
“We’d really love if he would, we’d love if he’d go and get a test and then go home, even though it’s probably not COVID,” Mr Miles said.
“Even if it isn’t, it really helps us keep our testing rates up and it’s those testing rates that can help us make sure that there isn’t other symptomatic COVID out there that we don’t know about.”
Ms Palaszczuk told an online forum on Monday night “sorry, I’ve lost my voice”, blaming last week’s parliament sitting for sounding croaky.
The Premier attended a string of events in regional Queensland the following day and Wednesday before arriving back in Brisbane on Wednesday where she visited a doctor because she felt unwell.
She returned a negative COVID-19 test on Thursday.
Ms Palaszczuk yesterday insisted she didn’t have any symptoms while she was travelling and her voice was now good.
“I just lost my voice, it’s very, very clear,” she said.
On Thursday the Premier’s office stressed she didn’t have any symptoms and suffered from voice strain.
But the Opposition slammed Ms Palaszczuk, accusing her of contradicting her own health advice.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young on Friday told Queenslanders they didn’t have to get tested if they lost their voice because it was not a symptom of coronavirus.
“She (Premier) was ultra-cautious, and that is what I ask of every Queenslander,” she said.
“Although there was no need for her to do it she went and got herself tested.”
Asked whether Queenslanders should get tested if they lose their voice, Dr Young said no.
“But I would encourage them to as the Premier did, that if you’ve got a symptom it’s a good idea to go and get tested rather than think through, ‘Is it COVID, isn’t it COVID?’, just get yourself tested,” she said.
“What we don’t need though is perfectly well people to get tested.”
She said health authorities were still testing “perfectly well” people because some Queenslanders were unsure.
