Covid-19: Deputy Premier Steven Miles announces 2266 new Covid-19 cases in Qld
The Deputy Premier, Steven Miles has announced there is 2266 new Covid-19 cases in Queensland from 7am to 7pm yesterday, with mask mandates tightening.
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The Deputy Premier, Steven Miles has announced there is 2266 new Covid-19 cases in Queensland from 7am to 7pm yesterday, with mask mandates tightening.
He said Queensland had 13,959 active cases with 80 in hospital and one person in ICU.
Mr Miles said under the advice of the chief health officer masks were required in all indoor spaces except inside a home setting from 1am January 2.
Masks will now be required in workplaces (unless it is unsafe to do so), pubs, clubs and cafes (except if seated), indoor stadiums and sports arenas (except if seated). Libraries, hairdressers, nail salons, waiting rooms, medical centres.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said there are now 16,125 active cases and 86.8 per cent fully vaccinated in Queensland.
COVID-19 Update: Deputy Premier @StevenJMiles is speaking in Brisbane. #covid19https://t.co/yWdgnxuloa
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) January 1, 2022
Yesterday Queensland recorded 3118 new Covid-19 cases, but only one man aged in his 50s has been admitted to an intensive care unit.
Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard said 126 people were in hospital with the coronavirus and the high number of cases was “what we’ve expected all along”.
He said 11,697 cases were active in Queensland and the state had recorded 13,863 cases since the pandemic began.
“Importantly, stay at home this New Year’s Eve if you’re sick,” he warned.
Dr Gerrard said anyone with symptoms of respiratory illness could be infected by the virus considering its ongoing spread across Queensland, particularly the Omicron variant.
“If you have any respiratory symptoms there is a good chance it’s going to be Covid,” he said.
He said the double-vaccinated man in his 50s in an intensive care unit (ICU) with Covid-19 – the Delta variant – was in a stable condition.
“Even if you’re vaccinated it is possible to get quite sick,” he said.
“We have such a high vaccination rate in Queensland.
“Most of those hospitalised are not severely sick.
“I think the most useful number to look at is the intensive care unit (admissions).”
Dr Gerrard warned “we’re not going backwards” and Queensland “has no plan to change the road map”.
He expected a large influx of Covid-19 cases across the state in January.
“We’re likely to experience a significant wave earlier than expected. Whether we have further waves of infection, we don’t know,” he said.
“I am quietly optimistic looking forward.”
Dr Gerrard said anyone who is sick would still need to get a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, rather than the increasingly popular rapid antigen test (RAT).
“If you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, no matter how mild, the test to have is a PCR,” he said.
Dr Gerrard said it was projected hospitals could cope with increasing Covid-19 cases.
There’s 193 health workers infected by the coronavirus in Queensland, with 165 in quarantine.
Dr Gerrard said there was no current move to limit visitors to aged-care facilities, but that it could be a consideration “in the coming weeks”.
He said vaccine mandates and the Check-in Qld app would not be dumped in the near future.
“We review these things all the time,” he said.
Police Minister Mark Ryan urged New Year’s Eve revellers to wear a face mask and he warned Queenslanders to make sure they followed business vaccination mandates.
“Don’t try and cheat the system by using someone else’s details – you will be caught out,” he said.
He said Queensland Police officers enforcing Covid-19 restrictions handed out about 350 masks on Thursday.
Hundreds of Covid-19 cases active on Coast, infections soar interstate
Earlier: The state government is due to provide an update on Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations in Queensland as more than 330 infections have been active on the Gold Coast.
On Thursday, Queensland announced 2222 new Covid-19 cases, which marked an increase of 633 on Wednesday’s numbers. 29 people were in hospital and none were in intensive care units (ICUs).
Queensland government data shows of 8586 active cases at least 336 were on the Coast.
It comes as Queensland has adopted new national guidelines around requirements for confirmed virus cases and close, casual and low risk contacts.
Anyone confirmed to have the coronavirus must isolate for seven days, have a negative rapid antigen test (RAT) on day six, monitor for symptoms for seven more days and repeat testing if symptoms continue, according to Queensland Health.
Close contacts will be defined (except in exceptional circumstances) as a household contact of a confirmed case.
A household contact is defined as someone who lives with a confirmed case or has spent more than four hours with them in a house, accommodation or care facility setting.
Close contacts must isolate for seven days from the date of exposure to a confirmed case and have a negative RAT on day six. Symptomatic close contacts must get a PCR test.
Casual or low risk contacts who have been potentially exposed to a case, but who are at lower risk of infection, must monitor for symptoms, and only need to have a RAT or PCR test if symptoms occur.
All contacts should wear a mask when outside their home, monitor symptoms and avoid visiting high risk settings, like aged care or hospitals, for 14 days after exposure.
If a contact’s RAT is positive, it should be followed by a PCR test to confirm the result.
On Thursday, 90.58% of eligible Queenslanders aged 16 years and over had received there first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. 86.37% the eligible population were double-dosed.
New South Wales has revealed a daily case record 21,151 new infections and six deaths on Friday, with 763 people in hospitals with the virus and 69 in ICUs.
Victoria has a record 5919 new cases and seven Covid-19 deaths, with 428 people in hospital and 54 in ICUs.
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