Mackay Covid: New cases in Central Queensland, Whitsundays

Active cases across the region climb to 107 as health authorities plead with people with positive test results to follow the isolation rule. LATEST LOCAL DETAILS HERE

Covid-positive patients are ignoring health directive to isolate as the region’s active cases climb to 107.

Mackay Hospital and Health Service acting chief executive Terry Johnson said 36 new positive cases were recorded on Wednesday, bringing the total across the Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday local government areas to 107.

“Of these 13 are in Mackay Base Hospital Virtual Ward and 21 are in Townsville University Hospital‘s Virtual Ward. All are in a stable condition,” she said.

“The previously admitted patient to the Mackay Base Hospital COVID-19 ward has been discharged home.

The Covid-19 testing site at the Mackay Showgrounds. Picture: Lillian Watkins

“The other Covid-19 positive people are isolating at home or in other accommodation and their care is being overseen through the Federal Government’s Covid-19 Care At Home program.”

Ms Johnson said anyone who tested positive must isolate immediately and “wait for contact from a health worker”.

“Unfortunately, we are aware of people receiving positive cases and then leaving an area,” she said.

Five stores at Caneland Central have been listed as Covid-19 exposure sites.

“We are asking people to do the right thing and not put other people at risk.

“Our focus is firmly on the management and isolation of Covid-19 positive patients.”

“If you use the Queensland check-in app every time you will be contacted when we know of a positive case.”

She said demand for testing remained high with 750 people tested in the health service on December 28. Of these 248 were done at Proserpine Hospital.

Mackay Covid-19 testing site. Picture: Lillian Watkins

The update comes as Prime Minister Scott Morrison flags an emergency meeting of national cabinet on Thursday in a bid to forge a “clear pathway” forward for dealing with a significant escalation in Covid-19 cases across the country.

Mr Morrison said the main concern with Omicron was dealing with severity of disease, not the number of cases, which today alone has already surpassed 18,000 nationally.

The explosion in cases has led to the near collapse of Covid-19 PCR testing capabilities in multiple states after testing rules remained largely unchanged.

Mr Morrison said National Cabinet would discuss adopting a consistent definition of a close contact.

A close contact, as per the definition put forward by the chief medical officer, is a household contact which in turn is defined as someone who has spent more than four hours with a positive case in a house or care facility setting.

“So we are talking about someone that they are living with. We are talking about someone like me and my family here who are living here together, if one of my kids Abbey or Lily got it or of course if Jenny or any of the household staff here got it then we would find ourselves in that situation and I would be a close contact,” Mr Morrison said.

Mackay testing information

The Mackay Showgrounds drive-through clinic is open seven days from 8am to 4pm.

Children aged under six can also be tested here on days when no private pathology providers are open.

Covid-19 testing is available in the Whitsunday region at the Whitsunday Respiratory Clinic, private pathology providers SNP and QLM and at Proserpine Hospital.

The hospital testing times are 8am to 3pm from December 27 to 31.

In Mackay testing will be available at the showgrounds drive-through testing clinic seven days a week between 8am and 4pm.

MHHS is preparing to deal with the oncoming surge of patients, Dr David Farlow said.

“By mid-morning Friday, our Mackay Base Hospital emergency department will separate into two zones, one for people with Covid-19 symptoms and those without,” Dr Farlow said last week.

Patients walking into the ED will be screened by a triage nurse at a demountable building outside the main entry, he said.

“If you require urgent care and/or have Covid-19 symptoms you will be cared through in the main ED and asked to wear a red sticker,” Dr Farlow said.

Cars line up at Mackay’s drive-through Covid-19 testing site. Picture: Lillian Watkins

“Less urgent cases and those without Covid-19 symptoms will be diverted to a separate entry and you will be given a blue sticker.”

Townsville University Hospital will care for any Covid-19 positive patients from the region who require hospital admission. Mackay Base Hospital is also opening a dedicated 16-bed Covid-19 ward in anticipating of accepting patients.

“All of our rural facilities have single rooms available to isolate a suspected or confirmed Covid-19 positive patient before they are transferred to a larger hospital,” Dr Farlow said.

Covid-19 positive people well enough to remain in their home will receive virtual support from medical and nursing staff.

“Vaccination remains our best defence against Covid-19,” Dr Farlow said.

“Covid-19 is a part of our lives now, so whether cases are located in Mackay, the Whitsundays or the Isaac region we are asking the community to remain vigilant and for people to prioritise getting tested if they have symptoms.”