Covid-19: Gold Coast case a ‘false positive’

Queensland Health have tonight confirmed that a reported case of Covid-19 on the Gold Coast was a false positive. FULL DETAILS >>>

• Rider dies, M1 closed on Coast after truck and motorbike crash
• Abandoned: Shock fate of vital Coast gateway
• Coast doctor with ‘honour and humility’ dies at 58

QUEENSLAND Health have tonight confirmed that a reported case of Covid-19 on the Gold Coast was a false positive.

On Sunday it was announced that a person had tested positive on the Coast and a Woolworths supermarket in Mudgeeraba was listed as an exposure site.

At the time Chief Health Officer Dr Jeanette Young said the case was under investigation after subsequent tests had returned negative results.

“One member of that family came forward and got tested and got a positive result, but with a very high CT value, meaning not a lot of virus,” she said.

“So we repeated it, and it was negative, and we repeated it again, and it was negative. We have tested everyone else and the family multiple times... and all of that is negative.”

Tonight Queensland Health said that it had concluded the person had never had Covid-19.

“After reviewing all evidence, an Expert Advisory Group has determined the case reported on 8 August was not a positive COVID-19 case,” it said in a statement.

“Close contacts, including the family, will be released from quarantine.

“All exposure venues related to this case will be removed.”

QUEENSLAND RECORDS JUST FOUR NEW CASES

QUEENSLAND has recorded just four new cases of Covid-19, all linked to the Indooroopilly Delta cluster and detected in home quarantine.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk opened Wednesday morning’s press conference at Brisbane with the "excellent news”.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Deputy Premier Steven Miles at Monday’s Covid-19 press conference. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Sarah Marshall

She said 23,099 tests were undertaken in the previous 24 hours and Queensland currently has 156 active cases. The Indooroopilly cluster has reached 120 cases.

Queensland has recorded 1929 coronavirus cases in total, seven people have died and 1741 patients have recovered.

Ms Palaszczuk also announced the lockdown in the Cairns and Yarrabah local government areas would end at 4pm today.

On Tuesday, Queensland recorded only three new locally acquired cases and all the affected individuals were in home quarantine and not out in the community.

Queensland records three new local Covid-19 cases

August 10: Queensland has revealed just three new locally acquired Covid-19 cases on the Gold Coast’s second full day out of lockdown.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said at a press conference in Brisbane on Tuesday morning it was “great news”, but “we’re not out of the woods just yet”.

All three new cases have been linked to the Indooroopilly school cluster and those affected have been in home quarantine and were not out and about in the community while infectious.

Ms Palaszczuksaid the “short, sharp lockdown” of the Coast and 10 more southeast Queensland local government areas had worked “incredibly well”.

MORE NEWS

Gold Coast GP: Dire warning to students as mask wearing becomes mandatory

Covid-19: Gold Coast gymnastics clubs can open as health officials say dancing and gymnastics can continue with less than 10

Byron Bay lockdown: Kristian Radovanovic, 19, charged with Covid-19 breaches

The new cases bring the total number of active cases in Queensland to 155, while 13,271 people were in home quarantine on Tuesday morning.

In the last 24 hours, 20,484 tests have been conducted and 11,000 vaccinations have been provided.

Queensland has recorded 1926 coronavirus cases in total, seven people have died and 1741 patients have recovered.

Monday’s update revealed five new cases of the coronavirus, including four local cases – but thankfully all were detected in hotel quarantine.

The latest numbers were announced as Byron Shire and a sizeable chunk of northern New South Wales are in lockdown after a man with Covid-19 travelled across the region.

The Gold Coast has been freed from lockdown, but the Byron Shire and other northern NSW local government areas have now been locked down by the NSW Government. Picture: News Regional Media

The Tweed shares a border with Coolangatta on the Coast, but the shire has dodged the lockdown for the time being.

Anyone who has been in the NSW council areas on or after July 31 must obey stay-at-home orders and quarantine at home.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said a “thick blue line” of police would stop anyone who had been to the council areas from entering Queensland.

Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said 3520 vehicles were stopped on Monday and 64 were turned back.

Ms Palaszczuk said the state government would be “keeping a really close eye” on the situation over the border during the seven-day lockdown.

Authorities have urged Queenslanders to continue to social distance and maintain good hand hygiene.

If you are unwell, stay home and immediately call your GP or 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) to arrange a test.

Follow @LukeWMortimer