Covid cases decrease as region death toll rises

As Covid cases continue to drop across the region, residents have been urged to remain vigilant as the district heads towards a devastating milestone. Find out what is happening here.

Despite Covid case numbers declining across the region, the death toll from the virus has increased.

Queensland Health reported two Covid-related deaths for the Darling Downs on Tuesday, while three were reported the previous day.

The region’s death toll sits at 129.

Sixteen active cases are being cared for by the Darling Downs Hospital and Health system, while 15 remain in the region’s hospitals.

Queensland recorded 2612 new cases on Tuesday, with 29 deaths state wide.

Twelve people remain in ICU, while there are currently almost 17,000 active cases across the state.

Less than a month ago, more than 66,000 Queenslanders had Covid-19.

Residents are encouraged to stay up to date with their Covid-19 vaccinations and report positive test results to the Queensland Health website.

When Toowoomba will be hit by fourth covid wave, death toll rises

The Covid death toll continues to rise across the Darling Downs as health authorities warn when the fourth Covid wave is likely to hit Toowoomba and surrounding towns.

Overnight on Monday, the deaths with Covid rose to 119 people, with statistics also revealing 69 Covid-positive results were detected in a 24 hour period to Tuesday morning, with 30 active cases currently under Darling Downs Health care.

Despite an early peak of the third wave and cases decreasing across the district, chief health officer Dr John Gerrard has warned a fourth peak is incoming.

“We still believe it is likely there will be a further wave this year, after another three months,” he said.

While the current projection for the fourth wave predicts December, it remains unclear how severe it may be.

Dr Gerrard said while new variants of Covid are being revealed, the third wave was not dependent on the emergence of a new variant.

He expects future waves to be less severe but also warned those who have previously been infected with Covid should be wary, with the re-infectious period changing from 12 weeks to 28 days.

Those from the third wave could become reinfected with the virus during the next expected wave.

Queensland Health has said if you do get symptoms within the 28-day period, there is no need to test, however stay at home until symptoms disappear.

In an emergency, call triple-0.

Shocking data reveals Covid-19 associated virus striking down kids

A warning has been issued to parents in the Darling Downs after cases of an infection linked to Covid-19, have tripled in emergency departments across the state, with many children affected.

Concerning data released by Queensland Health has revealed 260 patients of all age groups have presented in the emergency department and were diagnosed with croup between January and June this year.

Seventy one of those cases were recorded in June – an alarming jump when compared to the 11 cases diagnosed in January.

Statewide, 1261 patients have been admitted to Queensland hospitals, compared to 427 in January, while 191 kids presented to the Queensland Children’s Hospital in June, with croup-associated Covid.

Darling Downs Health director of public health and community medicine Dr Liam Flynn said severe symptoms among children included struggling to breathe or rapid breathing and turning very pale.

He said during these instances parents should immediately call triple-0.

“Croup is a symptom of upper respiratory infections and is caused by swelling of the larynx (voice box), trachea (windpipe) and bronchi (the large airways in the lungs), which makes it hard to breathe and is made worse with cool dry air,” he said.

“Most children with minor symptoms will start to improve after three to four days without treatment, however severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, will need treatment at a hospital.”

Croup is an inflammation of the upper airway, larynx and trachea that is usually triggered by some viruses including Covid-19.

Australian Medical Association Queensland president Dr Maria Boulton said it generally occurred in children between six months and six years of age, was usually worse at night and could be characterised by a barking seal-like cough.

While children usually recover on their own from mild cases of Croup, Dr Boulton said in a small number of cases a child could become very unwell.

A Queensland Health spokeswoman said it was internationally recognised that the Omicron variant appeared to cause upper airway symptoms like croup.

At the time of publication, there were 58 active cases of Covid in the Darling Downs and a total of 109 deaths.

If your child is experiencing a concerning cough, hoarse voice, noisy breathing or any other health concerns, please phone 13 HEALTH on 13 43 25 84 or the nearest emergency department.

In the case of an emergency, please phone triple-0.

Toowoomba showgoers urged to follow safety advice amid Covid wave

Residents of the Darling Downs who plan on attending the Ekka this year have been issued advice on how to reduce transmission of the Covid-19 virus.

At the time of publication, Queensland Health had 58 active cases and recorded 109 deaths in the Darling Downs.

Meanwhile, the state has 39,698 active cases and has recorded 1653 deaths, with 18 people losing their life overnight.

Hospital admissions have decreased across the state, going from 736 to 703 patients in the past 24 hours.

With the Ekka returning to Brisbane on Saturday, Minister Mark Bailey urged showgoers to wear a mask when indoors and try to socially distance to minimise transmission of the virus.

“We all know from years gone by, pre-Covid, the flu season around Ekka was always a thing,” he said.

“And it was a very real thing, because there was transmission.

“We’ve seen 18 deaths overnight.

“And that’s a very serious situation still. What I say to people is we’re nearly there, but just keep listening to the health advice.”

Concerning data paints stark picture: Fears on spike in virus toll

More Darling Downs people have died of Covid-19 in the past several months than all the people killed in crashes across the region’s roads in the last few years.

The comparison of the data paints a stark picture of the deadliness of the current Omicron wave which has claimed the lives of 77 people, mostly in the older age brackets, in less than two months.

The latest data from Darling Downs Health at the time of publication showed there had been 108 deaths from Covid complications since the pandemic began in March, 2020.

For context, for the same amount of lives lost on Darling Downs roads you have to go back half a decade.

With a steady increase of numbers for the current Covid wave, Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio said it was important to continue follow the health advice and to remain vigilant in the wake of the deadly wave.

“It is understandable that people are eager to return to normal patterns of life, however we can’t drop our guard, especially given the various winter respiratory illnesses that are circulating,” he said.

“Following the medical advice and having eligible booster vaccinations will help keep our more vulnerable community members safe as we navigate the current Omicron wave of the virus.”

A Darling Downs Health spokesman said taking precautionary measures would help reduce any risk of transmission within the community.

“Residents can take simple steps to help reduce the spread of Covid-19 by staying at home when sick, testing for Covid-19, social distancing and washing their hands,” the spokesman said.

“Face masks are also an effective way to protect themselves and others, by reducing the spread of contagious droplets from coughs, sneezes and speaking.”

Darling Downs records 128 new Covid-19 cases in one day

More than 100 Covid-19 cases were detected on Tuesday across the Darling Downs, while the region has recorded no new deaths.

The spike comes after the district recorded more than 100 deaths since the pandemic began – 77 in less than two months.

With several aged care facilities still under lockdown, questions have been asked as to what classifies as a Covid-related death.

An aged care spokeswoman recently claimed a death during the facility’s outbreak was not from Covid, despite being recorded as such by the Federal Government.

According to information provided to aged care homes by the federal Department of Health and Aged Care, any death of a resident within 28 days of the person testing positive to Covid should be noted as a Covid-positive resident death.

If a patient is transported to hospital for non-Covid reasons, but later tests positive, and dies while in hospital, aged care homes have been instructed to record it.

“If the resident dies in hospital within 28 days of their positive test result, record this as a number in the ‘All Covid positive resident deaths’,” the instructions from the Federal Government read.

However, a spokesman from the Department of Health and Aged Care said it was up to the aged care homes to accurately record the deaths.

“The responsibility of ensuring the accuracy of self-reported data falls to the residential aged care facility involved in line with the advice provided by the relevant medical practitioner at the time of death,” they said.

“A death is considered to be a Covid-19 death where a person dies with Covid-19 unless there is another cause of death identified and recorded by a medical practitioner at the time of death.

“Typically, there may be multiple causes identified, and the primary cause may not be known until confirmed by a doctor or coroner.

“As such, data recorded may differ from those officially registered and recorded by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.”

A person is considered recovered after seven days of testing positive, however is considered to have Covid for 28 days after testing positive.

Based on information provided to health officials, 107 Darling Downs residents have died with Covid.

Region left in dark after QLD Health’s major Covid error – August 1

Parts of regional Queensland have been left in the dark about the number of people infected or dying with Covid in their communities after a major error halted the daily reports, health authorities have revealed.

On Saturday, July 30, Queensland Health reported 18,678 new cases in 24 hours, a jump from the previous day’s 9420.

A Queensland Health spokesperson confirmed the 14,711 PCR tests reported to form the overall case numbers was incorrect because of a backlog of data from a private supplier.

As a result, the public was unaware of the true number of Covid cases in the region detected between June 10 and July 23.

“This has not delayed the time in which people have received their results,” the Queensland Health website stated.

A reporting disruption to the department’s website has seen a halt in Darling Downs numbers being updated.

It remains unclear what the accurate number of active cases and deaths are within the district.

Data from the Darling Downs had not been properly updated since Wednesday, July 27.

“To get a clear picture of the pandemic trend we look at multiple measures,” the Queensland Health spokesperson said.

“These include laboratory reports, self-reported rapid-antigen tests, hospital admission rates, ambulance calls, and population blood antibody test results.”

The spokesperson confirmed that while the authorities attempted to update the public regularly, there might be a delay in reporting some data.

This includes providing regional breakdowns of cases, including the Darling Downs.

At the time, the region had 69 active cases under Darling Downs Health and Hospital care, while 97 people had died.

Last week on average, almost two people a day were dying from the virus in the district.

It is now unclear where the region sits with cases in the community.

The Queensland Health spokeswoman urged residents to stay up to date with their various reporting methods, including through the local health service.

However, a Darling Downs Health spokesman confirmed the regional sector did not have information on the number of cases or deaths in the region The spokesman confirmed hospitalisations were decreasing across the region.

Originally published as Covid cases decrease as region death toll rises