Premier announces two new local Covid cases linked to essential worker Delta cluster

Queensland has recorded two new local Covid cases – both students linked to a Delta cluster triggered by essential workers from NSW.

Queensland has two cases of community Covid-19, both students from St Thomas More College at Sunnybank, while police investigate the three essential workers who sparked the state’s Delta scare.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the students – a 15-year-old boy and girl from different households – had been in home quarantine, and are considered “low risk”.

St Thomas More College was closed on Friday last week and almost 1000 people forced into quarantine after a 13-year-old student was infected with Delta by an essential worker from NSW.

Police are investigating that worker and two others from the group that crossed from NSW into Queensland together on Sunday last week.

One of the students who tested positive today had a short period of time in the community before they went into quarantine, with these exposure sites being added to Queensland Health’s list.

Two cases acquired overseas were also detected in hotel quarantine.

Ms Palaszczuk said there had been more than 14,000 tests in the past 24 hours and 56 per cent of people have now received their first dose.

Queensland Health delivered more than 100,000 vaccines in the past week.

There were 128 people who got vaccinated at the Rockhampton Eels and Knights match on Sunday.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: Sarah Marshall

Meanwhile, there will be a new community-based vaccination hub opening at Clifford Gardens Shopping Centre in Toowoomba.

From tonight it will start operating seven days a week.

“Now is the time to get your vaccine,” the Premier said.

Ms Palaszczuk said there were conversations that needed to happen regarding the number of truck drivers entering the state while infectious.

A total of nine have entered Queensland while infectious with Covid.

“The problem with testing every truck driver that comes into the state is that we have thousands, you can imagine the traffic jams that we would have,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski police were conducting a thorough investigation into the three essential workers who sparked Queensland’s Delta scare.

He said authorities were focusing on the circumstances of the essential worker border passes with the hope of getting more clarification in a few days.

“We are investigating the circumstances of that, it should take some time to do that because we need to access other documentation,” he said.

“Of course some of those people have returned to NSW which is at least in part in lockdown so we’ll have to work through that.

Deputy Commissioner Gollschewski said police had launched a new processing platform to streamline applications for border passes.

He said 173 people were put into hotel quarantine yesterday, including 41 returning Queenslanders.

He said delays were minimal at border checkpoints on Monday morning as the NSW-Queensland border bubble was reinstated.

Deputy Commissioner Gollschewski said some vehicles had been turned away at border checkpoints, mostly people attempting to enter without at least one vaccination.

He said people needed to remember that it was not a “free travel bubble”.

“If you don’t have the right paperwork and the right passes, our officers will turn you around,” he said.

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COVID-19 Update: Premier speaking in Brisbane. #covid19https://t.co/tkQRGbvnio

— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) September 13, 2021

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said she was “confident enough” to lift restrictions on aged care, disability services and prisons.

She said there was concern about the number of infectious freight drivers entering Queensland and encouraged people to check the latest exposure sites online.

Dr Young said anyone from 12 to 59 years of age should come forward to get Pfizer from today or Moderna when it is available.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said people in home quarantine would keep the state safe.

However, Ms D’Ath said people must remain vigilant as more cases come in from the border.

“We’re seeing more and more cases of NSW freight drivers coming into the state and leaving and then we find out they were infectious here,” she said.

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young. Picture: Sarah Marshall

Ms D’Ath said the government was moving away from smaller community clinics in favour of larger mass-vaccination hubs.

It comes as new details have emerged about the three men believed to have sparked Queensland’s latest coronavirus scare.

The three men entered Queensland on “essential worker” passes, with one of the men staying over at a home in Moorooka, infecting another man in that house who then spread it to his three children and their mother.

Queensland Health has since confirmed the three men crossed the border together on Sunday, September 5.

Two of the men were fully vaccinated, and the third had received one dose.

Queensland Health confirmed two of the men have since returned to NSW, including the man authorities believed passed the infection on to the man from Moorooka.

The third man remains in Queensland and has so far tested negative.

His close contacts have been tested and have so far tested negative to Covid-19.

The border passes of the men are being reviewed, though police have said they don’t believe any breach occurred.

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young on Sunday said she was “confident” that’s how the virus came into Queensland this time, but said it was “good news” that the men had spent minimal time in the community.

One of the men had travelled down into the Gold Coast with Dr Young calling for people there to be vigilant and get tested if they detect symptoms.

Dr Young said it was still too early to say if Queensland had dodged another outbreak of coronavirus.

“If you remember in previous outbreaks, the school kids had a weekend while they were infectious and out in the community and that caused all of the issues,” she said.

“Whereas this time we’ve got to the school during the school week, so we’ve managed to quarantine those 1000 families.

“We can’t say we’ve dodged it yet, but I’m hopeful, I’m genuinely hopeful.”