Queensland Covid: Health leaders silent after announcing Delta-infected flight steward scare

Less than 24 hours after announcing a Delta-infected air hostess roamed the state, our health officials were silent, leaving Queenslanders with more questions than answers, writes Jeremy Pierce.

Queenslanders have been left with more questions than answers over an airline flight attendant who caught the highly-contagious Delta strain of the coronavirus before roaming thousands of kilometres across the state.

The Qantas flight attendant sparked fears of a mass Covid outbreak after it was revealed on Friday that she had travelled to almost a dozen destinations throughout Queensland while infectious with the Delta strain which has wreaked havoc in southern states.

However, a day after chief health officer Doctor Jeannette Young said the latest Covid scare to hit Queensland “wasn’t making any sense” and urged anyone who visited exposure sites to get tested, Queensland Health bizarrely opted against holding a media conference to update the public.

Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young revealed details of an infectious flight attendant on Friday. Picture: John Gass / NCA NewsWire

Instead it was left to Queensland Environment and Science Minister Meaghan Scanlon to field questions about the situation on Saturday morning.

Overnight, there were no new cases of the virus in Queensland, but thousands of tests carried out on Friday in Longreach, Gladstone, Hervey Bay, Banyo and the Gold Coast are yet to be analysed.

Much of Queensland remains on high alert after a flight attendant with the contagious Delta strain of the coronavirus travelled extensively across the state. Picture: Jono Searle / Getty Images

Officers from Queensland Health are also still trying to fill holes in the woman’s movements between becoming infectious on July 11 and finally being tested on Wednesday – eight days after she started showing symptoms.

But the casaul response from our health leaders does not sit well with the voting public.

Queenslanders want answers, swamping The Courier-Mail website with questions over the woman’s movements through the community and who else could be at risk from attending other exposure sites throughout the state.

Queensland Health issues urgent alert for six flights after attendant tested positive to Delta variant

And people are right to be concerned. On the same day that our health leaders were missing in action, Covid-besieged New South Wales announced 163 new local cases, proving just how virulent the Delta strain is.

But while Ms Scanlon admitted the latest case was “a concern”, she backed contract tracers to “do extraordinary work”.

“Obviously any case is a concern, and we need to act quickly and that’s what those individuals will be doing,” she said.

A Queensland Health spokesman said information was still being sought from the Banyo-based flight attendant, who is now in hospital.

“No new locally acquired cases have been detected in Queensland since a woman tested positive on Thursday,” he said in a statement.

“Testing and contact tracing is ongoing. Interviews are also continuing with the woman, who works as a flight attendant for Qantas, and her close contacts.

“All Queenslanders are urged to regularly monitor the list of exposure venues on the Queensland Health website and follow the public health advice.”