Qld slams PM over Omicron chaos amid emergency stock shortages

Queensland’s health minister has roasted the Morrison government over critical supplies needed for the Omicron case explosion.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D‘Ath has slammed the federal government over its preparation for the Omicron surge sweeping the state.

The state government is calling on the Commonwealth to increase personal protective equipment, tests and emergency supplies amid rising hospitalisations.

Ms D’Ath said GPs, primary health networks and aged care providers were urgently seeking rapid antigen tests.

“It’s the Commonwealth who was supposed to be supporting that and providing that stock,” she told reporters on Friday.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is preparing to end two years of uncertainty by removing all restrictions on domestic travellers. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Ms D’Ath said a lack of supplies was forcing the state’s health department to divert resources to GPs.

“Stock was taken by the Commonwealth – so that’s disappointing,” she said.

The Prime Minister on Wednesday said his government was responsible for providing rapid tests for aged care, while states and territories were in charge of health workers.

“We have already had 10 million rapid antigen tests that the Commonwealth had acquired, and we have 78 million in total on top of that coming, some of which have already arrived,” he said.

“Right around the country there is over 200 million. So aged care are being provided with rapid antigen tests.”

The Queensland health minister had blamed the federal government for shortages of critical medical supplies. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Tetrius Pickard

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union also lashed out at the federal government over rapid test supplies.

RTBU national secretary Mark Diamond said workers shouldn’t have to sacrifice their health because Prime Minister Scott Morrison had failed to provide tests.

“The federal government forgot to order enough vaccines, and now it has forgotten to order enough RAT kits, so it has resorted to pinching the RAT kits ordered by others,” he said.

“At a time when our national supply chains are falling apart, and transport workers are being told to return to work even if they are a close contact, it is astonishing that RAT kits meant for those workers are being confiscated at our ports.”

Queensland reported a record 23,630 new Covid infections and three deaths on Friday.

Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard said the deaths included two unvaccinated people in their 70s and one unvaccinated person in their 60s, bringing the toll since the start of the pandemic to 20.

New South Wales reported 29 Covid deaths on Friday – its deadliest day of the pandemic so far – while Victoria recorded 18 deaths.

Queensland’s daily virus caseload jumped by more than 50 per cent on the 14,900 infections reported yesterday, clearing the previous high of 22,000 cases on Wednesday.

The Morrison government has been accused of taking stock of crucial supplies from Queensland. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage

Of the new Covid cases, 10,182 were positive rapid antigen tests recorded online, a figure that has more than tripled in the space of a day.

There are 589 Covid patients in hospital in Queensland – up from 530 over the past 24 hours – with the number of intensive care patients jumping from 26 to 41.

There are 15 people on ventilators, up from 10.

Covid patients in the public health system are now being sent to private hospitals with 635 beds in the sector assigned for that purpose.

More than 165,000 Queenslanders currently have the virus, a figure that is expected to surge over the next two weeks as the Omicron wave moves towards a peak.

Dr Gerrard tipped Gold Coast as the most likely region to see a peak in the Omicron wave.

Friday’s update comes after the state recorded its deadliest day of the pandemic so far, with six people dying from the virus on Thursday.

All were aged in their 70s to 90s with significant underlying health conditions and had varying vaccination statuses.

Originally published as Qld slams PM over Omicron chaos amid emergency stock shortages