Covid Qld: Latest case numbers revealed

Deputy Premier Steven Miles has revealed Queensland is so close to the 80 per cent vaccination goal “we can almost touch it” as a fresh warning was issued for the regions lagging behind.

Queensland has again recorded no new cases of Covid-19 while 10,644 vaccines were administered by Queensland Health on Monday.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said with 77.83 per cent of people having received their first dose, there was confidence about when Queensland would hit its vaccine thresholds.

Acting chief health officer Peter Aitken said the state was inching closer to 80 per cent.

“We can almost touch it,” he said.

Speaking in Rockhampton, Mr Miles urged Queenslanders, particularly in regional areas, to get their vaccinations so the state could open up as soon as we hit the targets.

Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles. Picture: NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

“If it’s not good enough to get vaccinated for yourself, please do it for your health staff who will bear the brunt of an outbreak,” he said.

“I don’t think the problem here is insufficient resources.”

“Our problem now is people need to go get vaccinated.”

The group of people who accidentally received a low-dose of the Pfizer vaccine yesterday are currently being contacted by the government with 120 already being spoken to.

Mr Miles said the Wellcamp facility will help to bring international students back into Queensland in time for the first semester next year.

Healthcare staff who have put in exemption applications or have gotten no response from the government will remain on full pay for a week, despite not going to work, before further action will be taken.

Mr Miles said the federal government was well aware of the state’s roadmap including when international flights could start arriving in Queensland.

It comes as Mr Miles said the state government’s Wellcamp quarantine facility would be used for a variety of reasons including for people who have unsuitable quarantine arrangements.

He said the facility would give the government a way to safely bring back international students.

“We’ve been able to move faster and we will be able to access that facility (Wellcamp) sooner,” he said.

“We spent nearly a year calling for one of these facilities.

“The federal government is unable to deliver any beds (at Pinkenba) until the second quarter of next year.”

Meanwhile unvaccinated Queensland Health staff who have been suspended will be paid for this week.

Earlier, figures revealed only 11 Local Government Areas are on track to reach the 80 per cent vaccinated threshold when the border reopens on December 17.

It means almost 1 million Queenslanders aged 16 and older that are yet to get even one dose of the vaccine will be exposed to Covid-19 in less than seven weeks, as the state falls short of its self-imposed 80 per cent vaccinated deadline.

The Aboriginal communities of Yarrabah, in the state’s far north, and Cherbourg, still have single dose jab rates below 50 per cent — though significant progress has been made in the last week.

Goondiwindi is the only place in Queensland where single-dose vaccination rates have surpassed 90 per cent.

Other LGAs that have hit 80 per cent are Brisbane, Bundaberg, Hinchinbrook, Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Redland, Moreton Bay, Fraser Coast, and the Southern Downs.