Sunshine Coast University Hospital staff member tests positive to Covid
A Sunshine Coast University Hospital worker has tested positive for Covid while working in a ward on Christmas Eve as Queensland’s active cases continue to rise.
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A Sunshine Coast University Hospital staff member has tested positive for Covid-19 as Queensland records 714 new cases on Boxing Day.
Queensland’s chief health officer Dr John Gerrard said this was a low rise in cases at a press conference in Brisbane on Sunday compared 764 recorded infections the previous day.
Dr Gerrard said this was likely due to Christmas and anticipated case numbers would increase over the coming days as more people get tested.
This update comes after a SCUH staff member tested positive to the virus after working in a ward on Christmas Eve.
A Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service spokeswoman said the worker did not have any symptoms and completed a shift while potentially infective on December 24.
“All staff in our hospitals wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment and certain clinical areas apply additional levels of protection,” she said.
“This ensures our patients and staff have the highest level of protection.
“Sunshine Coast Health is currently testing approximately 10 staff at this stage who worked that day and the Public Health Unit is contacting patients.”
The spokeswoman said due to the PPE worn at all times the contact risk for the majority of staff and patients is low.
“In an abundance of caution, the staff who worked on that shift will continue to be tested and will be isolated from other staff while taking breaks,” she said.
Queensland now has 2857 active cases.
Dr Gerrard confirmed there were 55 Queensland hospital and health service employees confirmed to have Covid with more than 300 now in quarantine.
Queensland Health has not listed any new exposure sites for the Sunshine Coast and Noosa as of 2pm Sunday, and have not updated active case numbers since Saturday.
The Sunshine Coast recorded 96 cases on Saturday which brought the total number of cases to 336 on Christmas Day.
Out of the 336 cases in the region, 83 of them were still active and 132 had recovered from the virus.
Up to 29,918 tests were conducted on Christmas Day, with numbers expected to increase following the holiday.
Dr Gerrard said case locations were active right across Queensland from “north to south”.
Nine of Queensland’s cases were locally acquired in the state including four from interstate travel while one was overseas acquired.
Up to 704 cases were under investigation.
In the past 24 hours 29,818 tests were taken and 5,937 vaccine doses have been administered by Queensland Health.
The last exposure sites listed online on Saturday confirmed six different locations for casual contact within the Sunshine Coast and Noosa regions.
See the list below:
Tuesday 14 December – Grill’d, Noosa Heads – 8.30pm – 9pm
Tuesday 14 December – Noosa Heads Surf Lifesaving Club – 6.37pm – 8.29pm
Tuesday 14 December – Miss Moneypenny’s at Noosa – 5.29pm – 6.30pm
Tuesday 14 December – Bistro C at Noosa – 4.30pm – 5.15pm
Thursday 16 December – Giddy Geisha at Maroochydore – 4.40pm – 5.30pm Casual contact
Thursday 16 December – Ann’s Nails Sunshine Plaza – 3.10pm – 3.40pm
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