Covid-19 Qld: Regions warned of spread as borders set to reopen

Queensland needs to urgently increase its vaccine uptake to avoid a lockdown, experts warn, as the nation’s Covid-19 commander speaks.

Queenslanders need to urgently increase their Covid-19 vaccine uptake in order to avoid a lockdown, infectious disease experts have warned, with a new case on the Gold Coast a “wake-up call” for a complacent state.

It comes as Australia’s Covid-19 vaccine commander said Queensland’s regions had only days before reopened borders pushed the virus into the state.

National Covid-19 Taskforce lead Lieutenant General John Frewen confirmed he had written to eight highly populated council regions – four of them in Queensland – that were trailing behind the rest of the country.

“We are trying to bring the whole nation along as equitably as we can,” Lt Gen Frewen said.

“The real concern is that as Victoria and New South Wales motor toward 80 per cent (fully vaccinated) and start opening up including to international travel, Delta will have more of a free run.

“Delta is coming… there isn’t much time.”

And there’s a chance Queensland’s outbreak has already arrived, with an alleged rule-breaking Uber driver on the Gold Coast who spent more than a week in the community while infectious becoming the first local case in 15 days.

Lieutenant General John Frewen. Picture: Gary Ramage/NCA NewsWire

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, continuing her “vax-a-thon” road show in the regions, ruled out a localised lockdown on the Gold Coast for now.

“The vaccination rates there are quite good, but we need to see more,” she said.

Infectious disease expert Dr Paul Griffin said the chances of a lockdown at this stage of the pandemic were “very remote”, but this relied on people getting jabbed and using check-in apps to prevent widespread transmission.

Immunisation expert Professor Robert Booy warned the state’s success in keeping Covid-19 out so far meant people had been complacent about the jab so vaccination rates were low and few had Covid-19 immunity from catching the virus.

“There are a lot more susceptible people (in Queensland),” he said.

“My strong recommendation is to get the vaccine rate up as quickly as possible and don’t have a lockdown.”

The latest data shows 73.6 per cent of adult Queenslanders have had at least one dose — an increase of less than a percentage point since Monday.

Just under 60 per cent are fully protected.

Lt Gen Frewen said he believed Queensland “writ large” could get to 80 per cent, but only if people “start to get vaccinated with real urgency”.

In order for at least 80 per cent of Queenslanders aged 16 and older to be fully vaccinated by December 17, another 260,600 people need to go out and get their first jab by next Friday.

Originally published as Covid-19 Qld: Regions warned of spread as borders set to reopen