Ipswich Covid-19 cases jump by hundreds overnight as vaccine rates slump

Ipswich’s total number of Covid-19 cases has surged by hundreds overnight as testing clinics become overwhelmed and rapid test continue to fly off the shelves.

Ipswich Covid-19 cases have jumped by more than 200 overnight with the total number now reaching into the 1200s.

As of 7pm Monday night, Ipswich had recorded a total of 1245 cases, up from 1002 the previous day.

Of the cases, 32 were acquired overseas and two were acquired interstate.

Seventy-four cases locally acquired from a known contact however 33 were locally acquired with no known link.

The remaining 1104 cases remain under investigation.

Queensland recorded 5699 cases in the past 24 hours, with 170 people now in hospital and 11 in the ICU, two on ventilators.

On Monday the state recorded 4249 cases and one death, a man in his late 30s who died in his Gold Coast home.

The man’s death is being investigated but Dr Gerrard said the man had tested positive to Covid with a rapid test.

Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard warned the state’s infection rates could reach ‘hundreds of thousands’ in January, saying the Omicron strain had changed ‘everything’.

Health authorities urged Queenslanders to get their third vaccine shot as cases again spiked with 23 per cent of all tests now coming back positive, Dr Gerrard said.

As at December 20, 169,205 people or 85.7 per cent of Ipswich residents aged over 15 had been fully vaccinated and 92.1 per cent had received one dose.

However, Ipswich’s vaccination rates have slowed.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard at Tuesday’s Covid press conference at Valley Discount Drug Store. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

According to Queensland Health, zero vaccine doses had been administered at any of the Queensland Health and Hospital Services-operated vaccine locations in and around Ipswich on Monday.

As the virus spreads across the region, rapid antigen tests are also continuing to fly off the shelves.

In response, a website called ‘Find A RAT’ has been launched which uses crowdsourcing to help people find their nearest store with rapid tests still in stock.

Anyone can upload chemists or supermarkets where they’ve seen the tests in stock and users can explore the map or search by postcodes to find where the nearest tests are available.

Ipswich residents have also taken to crowdsourcing Covid-19 exposure sites on a Facebook group as the state government moved to no longer list the sites unless they were involved in a major outbreak or super spreader event.

Check out our list of where you can find a rapid test in and around Ipswich here.