Qld chief health officer confirms community transmission of coronavirus

Queensland Health has confirmed the first cases of community transmitted coronavirus in the state’s southeast.

QUEENSLAND Health is working to contact trace every single case of coronavirus on the Gold Coast after confirming there is community transmission in the region.

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The number of coronavirus cases in Queensland has jumped by 10 overnight bringing the state’s total to 78. At least 19 fever clinics were open across the state yesterday.

The state’s chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said there is “limited community transmission” on the Gold Coast but authorities were working to contact trace “every single case”.

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Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young says there have now been community transmitted cases of coronavirus in the state’s southeast. Picture: Steve Pohlner

The tourist hotspot, which was the first area in the state to have a confirmed case of the virus after a tour group visited from Wuhan, continues to have cases almost daily.

On Monday, 15 people tested positive for the virus in Queensland, with six of those being on the Gold Coast, including an eight-year-old girl.

A Gold Coast healthcare worker based in the Robina Health Precinct is among the latest to test positive and has since been placed in isolation.

Dr Young said community transmission was to be expected on the Gold Coast.
“We do have some limited community transmission down at the Gold Coast which we would expect,” she said.

“The Gold Coast saw the very first cases – if you think back its months ago now – but they saw the very first cases from China, the five individuals who came from Wuhan out of that party of nine and they were managed there.
“Since then, we’ve seen some other clusters related to the filming that’s happened down there from overseas.
“We’ve seen a number of clusters going on at the Gold Coast so now we’re seeing some very small numbers of community transmission that we’re working with all the community there who have done a brilliant job to continue to make sure we contact trace every single case.”

Dr Young on Saturday said she was confident there was no sustained community transmission of the new virus in Queensland, saying all 35 cases could be traced back to someone returning from overseas, or a close contact of a confirmed COVID-19 case.
It comes as actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson were yesterday (TUES) released from a Gold Coast hospital after contracting the virus while filming a Baz Luhrmann biopic.

The Department of Health website states that of the 375 confirmed cases in Australia, 189 are considered to be overseas acquired.