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.
QLD News
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
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.
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
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 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
Join the conversation
Brisbane motorists entangled in international business war
Thousands of Brisbane motorists have become inadvertently tangled in a business stoush. ALL THE DETAILS
Read more
Qld’s holiday season shame – and the plan to end the pain
Queensland’s road shame over Christmas has been revealed, though there are plans to stop the rot.
Read more