Queenslanders warned Delta will come as vaccination rates lag

Lagging vaccination rates have drawn a sharp response from Queensland authorities with five communities put on notice.

Queenslanders have been issued a grim warning as state’s vaccination rate lags, with five specific communities urged to lift their game and get the jab.

People living in the Ipswich and Logan regions near Brisbane, the Scenic Rim town of Beaudesert, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast have been asked to front up to get vaccinated.

Queensland has now slipped to last place among the states and territories in the vaccination rollout.

Chief health Officer Jeannette Young will also be flying to Central Queensland, Mackay, and Rockhampton on Wednesday to urge those communities to increase their vaccination rate.

As of Wednesday, just 48.89 per cent of people 16 and older were double vaccinated in the Sunshine State, dropping behind Western Australia with 49 per cent.

“We will see the Delta variant come in and it won’t be able to be controlled,” Dr Young said.

“The only control will be those who are vaccinated.”

Two new local cases of Covid-19 were announced in Queensland on Tuesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The warning came after the state once again avoided a sixth lockdown with an “unbelievable” zero cases recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm.

That means no cases have been linked to the mystery Brisbane masseuse case announced on Monday, who was infectious in the community for 10 days.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said there were three cases detected in quarantine overnight – two in hotels and one in a hospital, but health authorities were not concerned.

Wednesday 6 October – coronavirus cases in Queensland:

0 new locally acquired cases recorded overnight.

3 new overseas acquired cases - 2 detected in hotel quarantine, 1 detected in hospital quarantine.#covid19pic.twitter.com/bKdXwEySSh

— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) October 6, 2021

Police were also forced to arrest a woman and take her into hotel quarantine in Brisbane after she allegedly refused multiple times to comply with home quarantine rules.

When asked again about Queensland’s reopening timeline, Ms Palaszczuk appeared to add another condition before she opens up to other states.

Queensland has so far proven reluctant to commit to easing border restrictions at the 80 per cent double dose rate flagged at national cabinet, and wants to see a plan for children who are too young to receive a vaccine, as well as an increase in hospital funding from the federal government.

Ms Palaszczuk also said she wanted to see Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s plan on the rollout of booster shots before committing to a date, while holding up the ACT’s 93 per cent vaccination rate as a benchmark.

“The Delta strike will come here in Queensland,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“We need to get our vaccination rates up as high as possible before we have those outbreaks here.”

Just 48.89 per cent of people 16 and older were double vaccinated in Queensland, dropping behind Western Australia with 49 per cent. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The latest health update came after Brisbane Airport was listed as one of three new exposure sites on Tuesday night.

Reports were also circulating that several hospitals in the state’s north are nearing capacity, even with low Covid numbers.

The Australian reported hospitals in Townsville, Cairns, Mackay and Mount Isa issued “code yellow’” capacity alarms on Tuesday, raising questions over the state’s ability to handle a sudden spike in coronavirus numbers.

Originally published as Queenslanders warned Delta will come as vaccination rates lag