Parents thanked as no cases of Covid-19 reported from Sunshine Coast private school program

Parents and children who endured long waiting times after the health department urged all students and staff of several Sunshine Coast elite schools to be tested for Covid-19 have been thanked for their patience.

Parents, students and teachers from Sunshine Coast private schools have been thanked after they spent hours waiting to get tested for Covid-19 this week.

Teachers and students at Immanuel Lutheran College, Sunshine Coast Grammar and Matthew Flinders Anglican College were told to get tested for Covid-19 as Queensland Health worked to find a missing link in the state’s Indooroopilly outbreak.

Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said as of Wednesday morning she was unaware of any positive Covid-19 test results from the school surveillance program.

The health department said no known cases were linked to the schools but the tests were in a bid to rule out any possible link to a delta cluster in Brisbane.

On Tuesday parents, students and teachers endured waiting hours to get tested at local facilities and a pop-ups at Matthew Flinders and Immanuel Lutheran colleges.

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young hoped Queensland’s high rate of Covid-19 testing would continue. Picture: Brad Fleet

Immanuel Lutheran College principal Colin Minke thanked parents for their patience.

“I know many of you were out early and spent countless hours in lines, and we appreciate this effort,” he said.

“The feedback by MRL which conducted the testing at ILC was very positive, they were full of praise for the patience and respect that our parents displayed; such great modelling for our children.”

A Queensland Health spokesperson confirmed more than 400 students and teachers were tested at two school pop-up clinics on yesterday and many more were tested at private pathology labs.

“We’re extremely grateful to everyone who has come forward for testing, doing their bit to help use prevent the spread of Covid-19,” they said.

They said test results were usually known within 24-48 hours.

On Wednesday Dr Young confirmed the state recorded 19 new cases, of which 16 were locally-acquired and linked to the growing Indooroopilly cluster.

She said it was possible they may never find the missing link.

“It is possible we’ll never find the link between one of those two cases that came to Queensland on June 29 and this family of five,” Dr Young said.

“It could have been someone who got infected at the airport or at hotel quarantine or in the hospital … and they could be one of the 20% who do not present symptoms.”

There are now 63 cases linked to the Indooroopilly cluster and 100 active cases, Queensland’s highest since the initial Covid-19 outbreaks in 2020.

Deputy premier Steven Miles said Queensland broke its previous daily testing record with 51,479 tests completed on Tuesday.

The previous record was about 35,000.

Dr Young said restrictions could lift at 4pm Sunday if the high rate of testing continued.

“I’m confident if Queenslanders continue what they’re doing, and ramp it up a little we can get this done by Sunday,” she said.