Qld sets up fever clinics as part of measures to contain coronavirus

Fever clinics have been set up in the emergency departments of key Brisbane public hospitals as part of measures to contain the coronavirus.

QUEENSLAND has set up fever clinics in key hospital emergency departments as residents returning from mainland China are told to quarantine themselves to protect the state from the new coronavirus.

Two Chinese tourists in isolation in the Gold Coast University Hospital are Queensland’s only known cases of the novel virus, with all tests yesterday proving negative.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the parents of more than 3700 children who had recently returned from China, including Hong Kong, had all been contacted to advise them to keep students away from school, TAFE and childcare for 14 days.

CORONAVIRUS THREAT LEADS TO EMERGENCY POWERS TO DETAIN

CORONAVIRUS QLD: SECOND CASE CONFIRMED ON THE GOLD COAST

Queensland Health supplied image of an isolation ward and the personal protective equipment used to protect health workers.

Her Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said that under changes to national protocols for containing the virus, announced at the weekend, anyone returning to Australia from China would be told to remain in quarantine for a fortnight.

Dr Young said systems had been put in place for every flight into Queensland from mainland China, including Hong Kong, to be assessed by a team of nurses.

She said four nurses met a flight from China into Brisbane International Airport at 5.30am yesterday to check every passenger’s temperature for signs of the novel coronavirus and to advise them of the need to remain isolated for two weeks. The nurses collected passenger contact details for all those on board.

“Those people will receive a phone call from public health staff every single day during that isolation period to make sure that they remain well and that they have what they need,” Dr Young said.

Fever clinics have also been set up in the emergency departments of key public hospitals in and around Brisbane as part of measures to contain the virus, first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December.

Since then, the novel coronavirus has claimed more than 300 lives and infected more than 14,300 people, mostly in mainland China.

Twelve cases have been confirmed in Australia as health authorities take extraordinary measures to contain its spread.

As a news conference to give the latest on the novel coronavirus – Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, her Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young, Health Minister Steven Miles and a translator for the hearing-impaired community. Photo: Richard Gosling, AAP.

Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles said more fever clinics were expected to open in public hospital emergency departments to deal with an expected influx of potential coronavirus patients in coming days.

He said the clinics allowed health workers to separate people, who feared they may have the novel coronavirus, from other emergency department patients.

Despite the decision to quarantine people returning from China, Mr Miles and Dr Young urged the community to remain calm.

“We know there are a lot of people out there who are anxious,” Dr Young said. “There is no need. If you haven’t been to mainland China, if you haven’t come into contact with a confirmed case, you won’t have this novel coronavirus.”

Dr Young said tests for the new virus could only be done if a person was showing symptoms, such as a fever, coughing and difficulties breathing.

With tourism into Queensland likely to be greatly impacted by the scramble to contain the virus worldwide, Opposition leader Deb Frecklington has called on the Palaszczuk Government to deliver an emergency assistance package to the Gold Coast, the Far North and other tourist centres.

Ms Frecklington said the coronavirus crisis threatened to wipe out thousands of tourism jobs.

“While every effort must be made to contain the disease, the Palaszczuk Government also needs to immediately develop a plan to save Queensland jobs,” she said.

“China is Queensland’s most important overseas tourism market.”