Gold Coast coronavirus: Coroner confirms Gold Coast man died of Covid

The coroner has confirmed a Gold Coast man in his late 30s found dead last week died from complications related to the coronavirus. A Brisbane man has also died from the virus.

The coroner has confirmed a Gold Coast man in his late 30s found dead last week died from complications related to the coronavirus.

A Brisbane man in his 30s also died of the virus on January 5 this year, Health Minister Yvette D’Ath told reporters today.

The state has now recorded a total of 10 deaths from Covid-19.

Queensland chief health officer Dr John Gerrard said deaths in people so young were “rare” but had been reported in other states and overseas.

“The most common cause in these young people relates to infection of the heart by the virus,” Dr Gerrard said.

The state reported 11,174 new cases overnight.

That brings the total active cases to 62,920, with 349 people in hospital, 17 people in the intensive care unit and three people on ventilators.

Queensland chief health officer Dr John Gerrard. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Josh Woning

About one in three people tested are giving a positive result.

Ms D’Ath announced the state government would be suspending all non-urgent elective surgery until March 1 in order to help alleviate pressure on hospital staff.

“We will review this at the end of January to see where we are in surge and where we will see the peak occur,” she said.

Ms D’Ath said the state government was still considering when school would resume following the end of the summer holidays.

An answer is expected in the next few days.

The state government’s website to report a positive from a home self-test kit has now gone live, Ms D’Ath said.

She said anyone who had tested positive on an at-home test could now report the positive result online by visiting health.qld.gov.au.

Long lines continue as people struggle to get a PCR test. This is the Robina testing centre on Saturday morning. Picture: Mike Batterham

Long lines of cars waiting to get PCR tests continued on the Gold Coast on Saturday despite efforts from the state and federal government to reduce wait times.

At Robina it was estimated it was taking between three and four hours for cars to get through the lines.

At home rapid antigen test (RAT) kits remain a rare commodity and hard to find.

The Bulletin went to three chemists in Southport on Saturday and all had signs saying no RATs were available.

Follow @leae