Health authorities provide latest on Queensland’s coronavirus cases

Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young has revealed she is concerned authorities have been unable to trace the source of a Rockhampton nurse’s COVID-19 case, as two new cases were recorded in the state overnight.

CHIEF Health Officer Jeanette Young said it is “a worry” that it was unclear how a Rockhampton nurse contracted coronavirus and was proof COVID-19 has not been beaten in Queensland.

The concern comes after two new cases were confirmed in the state overnight.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles this morning announced there would be an independent investigation by the Director General into how the nurse was able to work for days in a Rockhampton nursing home.

Dr Miles and Dr Young are in Rockhampton today and were briefed on the incident local health staff this morning.

“This is why we cannot assume we’ve beaten this virus – we haven’t,” Dr Young said.

“It’s unlikely that we will ever beat this virus.

Queensland Chief Medical officer Jeanette Young. Picture: AAP/David Clark

“We’ll have to find ways of managing it and the hope of course is for a vaccine to assist us in that…”.

It’s understood the nurse recently flew to Brisbane and she may have caught the virus on the plane or while in town.

She is one of 42 of the 1053 confirmed cases in the state in which authorities cannot trace the source.

“In actual fact we have possibly got more respiratory disease in our state due to COVID-19 than we have due to flu,” Dr Young said.

“We have had so many people get vaccinated this year for flu and all the social distancing has meant that people haven’t spread flu.

“So today if you have got respiratory symptoms there’s every chance it’s more likely due to COVID-19 than it is due to anything else.”

Dr Young said hundreds of Rockhampton residents had been tested for the novel coronavirus over the weekend and she urged more to come forward.

“We all know the incubation period is 14 days so everyone in the Rockhampton community must come forward, I plead with you please come forward and get tested no matter how mild your symptoms might be,” she said.

“If you wake up in the morning and you think ‘is that a sore throat because I spoke too much yesterday or is it a sore throat because I might have COVID’, get tested.

“Don’t second guess yourself – just come and get tested you will not be turned away from any fever clinic here in Rockhampton or Central Queensland.”

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Deputy Premier Steven Miles is providing an update on coronavirus cases this morning.

Dr Miles said an independent investigation has been launched.

“The Chief Executive assures me the HHS has already commenced an investigation however I can also confirm ofay that in addition I have asked the Director General to commission an independent investigation into this matter,” Dr Miles said.

“We want to understand exactly how it happened, what went wrong, why it went wrong and how we can make sure it never happens again, not just at the 16 aged care facilities run by HHS’s but at all of our other hundreds of Queensland Health sites.

“We need to ensure all of our patients and residents, everyone in our care as well as our staff are kept safe and are aware of their obligations always but particularly heightened obligations during this pandemic.”

Dr Miles said 42 residents and staff had been identified as “close contacts” with the infected nurse and that all Coronavirus tests completed had so far been negative.

“The centre itself is in lockdown today,” he said.

“All tests (of residents and staff) have returned negative.

“In addition 763 Rockhampton locals have sought testing at three locations … and all of those that have been returned are negative.”

Dr Miles said a 24-hour helpline had been set up for the families of and a number of iPads had been rolled out in the centre to allow residents to communicate with their families.

He flagged the centre would likely be locked down for weeks as vulnerable residents continued to be tested during the 14-day incubation period and beyond.

TWO NEW CASES OVERNIGHT

Dr Miles said the two new recorded cases in Queensland were women in the southeast and both patients had recently returned from overseas.

One of the confirmed cases is in the Metro South Health area and the other in the West Moreton region.

There are now 13 active cases of COVID-19 in Queensland with four of those patients in hospitals and one being treated in ICU.

The state has confirmed a total of 1053 cases since the outbreak began.