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Four new Covid cases including Omicron in Queensland as vaccine rate doubles on Gold Coast

Queensland’s mask mandate is ‘likely’ to return once Covid starts to spread in the community. It comes after four new cases were detected overnight and three flights were added to the state’s exposure list.

Sunshine State reopens its borders

Queensland has recorded four new Covid cases – including a case of Omicron – with the chief health officer saying the mask mandate is “likely” to return once Covid starts to spread in the community.

Dr John Gerrard said all of the new cases were in hotel quarantine, with three from northern NSW and another from overseas. None of the four cases have been infectious in the community.

“This is a pattern we’ve been seeing for the past few weeks,” he said, regarding “incursions” from northern NSW.

Dr Gerrard said the overseas case came from Kenya and was the Omicron variant.

“Omicron is likely to become the dominant strain around the world in the coming weeks and months,” he said.

Queensland's Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard. Picture: Dan Peled
Queensland's Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard. Picture: Dan Peled

It comes as Queensland Health added three flights to the list of exposure sites between Friday 10 December and Saturday 11 December.

The airlines involved are Jetstar, Virgin and Qantas.

A number of passengers on Flight JQ942 Melb to Cairns, Flight VA313 Melb to Bris and Flight QF536 Syd to Bris are considered close contacts.

LATEST EXPOSURE SITES

Thursday 9 December

Woolworths - Sunny Park Shopping Centre

9.20am - 9.50am Low risk contact

Westfield Garden City, Level 1, Corner Logan and Kessels Rd

1pm - 2.15pm Low risk contact

K-Mart, Level 1 Westfield Garden City, Corner Logan & Kessels Rd

1pm - 2.15pm Low risk contact

Friday 10 December  

Chemist Warehouse - 31 South Street, Ipswich

11am - 7pm Casual contact

Saturday 11 December 2021

Chemist Warehouse - 31 South Street, Ipswich

9am - 5pm Casual contact

Bluegrass BBQ at The Smoke, New Farm

5.50pm - 6.25pm Casual contact

Brisbane Powerhouse

119 Lamington Street New Farm

6.35pm - 7.30pm Low risk contact

7pm performance of ‘A Very Naughty Christmas’ at the Brisbane Powerhouse

7pm - 7.30pm Casual contact

Sunday 12 December

The Espresso Hut - 218 Padstow Rd, Eight Mile Plains

6.35am - 7.35am Close contact

Woolworths - Sunny Park Shopping Centre

4.45pm - 5.15pm Low risk contact

Monday 13 December

Lovewell Café - 185 Mount Gravatt Outlook Dr, Mount Gravatt

7.30am - 8.45am Casual contact

Westfield Garden City, Level 1

10.55am - 11.15am Low risk contact

Westfield Garden City, Level 1

11.45am - 12pm Low risk contact

Brisbane Domestic Airport – Food court area adjacent to Sushi Sushi

12.25pm - 12.42pm Casual contact

Brisbane Domestic Airport – BNE News

12.42pm - 12.45pm Casual contact

Brisbane Domestic Airport – Adjacent to Gate 41

12.45pm - 1.45pm Casual contact

Brisbane Domestic Airport Flight VA1105 Gate 48 Carousel 2

12.15pm - 2.05pm Low risk contact

Brisbane Domestic Airport Flight VA375 Gate 41

12.15pm - 2.05pm Low risk contact

Domestic departures, Virgin terminal

12.15pm - 2.05pm Low risk contact

Flight QF2426 Newcastle to Brisbane

All passengers seated in Rows 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14

Flight VA1105 Newcastle to Brisbane

All passengers seated in rows 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

12.03pm - 3.15pm Close contact

Flight VA1105 Newcastle to Brisbane

All passengers, excluding passengers seated in rows 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

12.03pm - 3.15pm Casual contact

Flight VA375 Brisbane to Townsville

All passengers seated in rows 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

2.05pm - 4.14pm Close contact

Flight VA375 Brisbane to Townsville

All passengers, excluding passengers seated in rows 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

2.05pm - 4.14pm Casual contact

Domestic arrival gate and baggage carousel

4.15pm - 4.40pm Casual contact

4pm - 5.30pm Close contact

Flight QF2426 Newcastle to Brisbane

All passengers excluding those seated in Rows 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14

4pm - 5.30pm Casual contact

Woolworths Robina Town Centre (Below the Kitchens)

4pm - 4.40pm Low risk contact

EMF Performance Centre Robina

5pm - 6.15pm Casual contact

Brisbane Domestic Airport Flight QF2426 Gate 1 Carousel 2

5.30pm - 6pm Low risk contact

Coles – Cannon Hill K-Mart Plaza

7.45pm - 8.15pm Low risk contact

Hungry Jacks - K-Mart Plaza, Wynnum Rd, Cannon Hill

8pm - 8.25pm Casual contact

Brisbane Domestic Airport Flight JQ486 Gate 27 Carousel 4

9.15pm - 9.30pm Low risk contact

Brisbane Domestic Airport- Terminal D, Gate 27 and Luggage Carousel 4

9.15pm - 9.30pm Low risk contact

Tuesday 14 December

Train (Beenleigh line) - Departing Central station to Loganlea station

12am - 1am Low risk contact

Anytime Fitness - 153 Campbell Street Bowen Hills

7.20am - 7.55am Close contact

Flight JQ430 Melbourne to Gold Coast

All passengers seated in 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28

8.30am - 9.38am Close contact

Flight JQ430 Melbourne to Gold Coast

All passengers, excluding passengers seated in 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28

8.30am - 9.38am Casual contact

Woolworths Valley Metro - Shop 9A/230 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley

4.15pm - 4.35pm Casual contact

BWS - Shop 36 & 37/ 230 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley

4.35pm - 4.45pm Casual contact

Rashays Toombul - Restaurant in Toombul Shopping Centre

7.30pm - 8pm Casual contact


Queensland Health added three flights to the list of exposure sites between Friday 10 December and Saturday 11 December.
Queensland Health added three flights to the list of exposure sites between Friday 10 December and Saturday 11 December.

Dr Gerrard said it was ‘likely’ the mask mandate will return for indoor settings in Queensland once outbreaks began to spread in the community.

“It is likely to come back, mainly for indoors,” he said.

“(But) at this stage we are not finding evidence of sustained community transmission.”

Dr Gerrard said it was too early for the opening of the border to have an impact on case numbers. He said vaccine hesitancy was “melting away”, especially in light of the borders opening.

Dr Gerrard again urged Queenslanders to get the jab – including their booster shots.

“Those people who are less than five months (since their second dose) should have good immunity from their existing immunisation,” he said.

He revealed the number of vaccinations being administered on the Gold Coast had doubled in 24 hours.

Dr Gerrard urged people to think about getting their booster shot if it had been longer than five months since their last Covid-19 vaccine.

He reminded Queenslanders that with the existing strain of the virus, vaccinated people will not get very sick.

“We are still learning about Omicron so I don’t want to say too much, but it looks like, with the booster, the vaccine will be effective against the strain,” he said.

Treasurer Cameron Dick. Picture: Annette Dew
Treasurer Cameron Dick. Picture: Annette Dew

Treasurer Cameron Dick said there was “no place” for abuse for retail or hospitality workers, with the unvaccinated mandate coming into effect on Friday.

“People need to understand that the decisions we have made have been careful and cautious and too keep Queenslanders safe,” he said.

Speaking on the federal Government’s decision to manufacture mRNA vaccines at a facility in Victoria, Mr Dick said that it was something the nation needed.

“I think the nation needs this, and I called on this five years ago, and I am sorry Queensland does not get to participate in this,” he said.

“Scott Morrison is somehow taking claim for this.

“The reality with Scott Morrison is that you can’t trust anything that comes out of his mouth.

“Now he is undermining the Covid check-in app.”

He said that he was disappointed that Mr Morrison “wants to undermine the very protocols that have kept Queensland safe”.

“He calls this leadership, but I think it is laughable,” he said.

“Much of the world would very much like to be in Queensland’s position.”

Today’s Covid update comes on the second day of Queensland’s borders being open to Covid hotspots, including NSW which has recorded 804 new cases today.

There has been a spike in Victoria too, with 1189 new cases and six deaths overnight.

Overnight, a Jetstar flight from Cairns to Coolangatta last Friday was flagged as a Covid exposure risk by Queensland Health along with Pho Hien Vuong Restaurant in Sunnybank last Thursday.

The Apple Store at Westfield Carindale in Brisbane’s south is also a new casual contact location, as is the Foodworks at Morningside and Shell service station at Bulimba.

A Subway store at Clayfield in the city’s north and a Dan Murphy’s liquor store in Hamilton have also been listed as casual contact sites.

The Imperial Hotel bottle shop at Eummundi and the Coles and Dan Murphy’s at Coolum Beach are low-risk contacts.

Originally published as Four new Covid cases including Omicron in Queensland as vaccine rate doubles on Gold Coast

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/queensland/chief-health-officer-dr-john-gerrard-to-provide-update-on-queenslands-covid-cases/news-story/0b760e47cc2acc2ea0406105c9650fb2