Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced 59 new cases in Qld

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced there is 59 new Covid-19 cases recorded in Qld overnight. WATCH LIVE

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced 59 new Covid cases were recorded in Queensland overnight.

Health authorities are also tracking an “Omicron cluster of concern” involving 2675 people.

The cluster is linked to a graduation ceremony of Griffith University nursing and paramedic students held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Monday last week. There are already 15 cases linked to the event.

Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard said there was roughly a doubling of cases every 48 hours, with these numbers expected to “increase significantly”.

Dr Gerrard said he knew one paramedic that had tested positive but that health workers were like “everybody else” so it’s inevitable some will get infected.

“You just have to assume that the virus is everywhere, particularly with vaccinated people they are getting very mild symptoms, which is great, but it also means they often don’t know they are carrying the virus.

“And it’s true they can be contagious, but the vaccine is protecting them against severe disease, which is even a bigger reason why we all need to get vaccinated.”

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. (Photo by Dan Peled/Getty Images)

Of the cases, 33 are under investigation, one is overseas acquired, 16 are linked to interstate travel and 16 are linked to know cases.

There are 43 confirmed cases of Omicron and Dr Gerrard said it was becoming the dominant strain. Across Queensland there are 197 active cases of Covid.

The Premier said there were 13,395 Covid tests in the past 24 hours, with the state at 84.51 per cent fully vaccinated. She strongly recommended people wearing masks in all indoor settings, but it would not be mandated.

She asked people travelling into Queensland to get their day five test saying it was “really important”.

Dr Gerrard said there were 66 patients in hospital, but only one of those was there for medical reasons, the others were there for various reasons such as isolating from sick relatives.

He said people would be increasingly managed at home, with quite a few moved there in recent days. Currently there are 32 cases being cared for in the home.

The Premier addressed the mask mandate which was put in place on Saturday and said although it was not compulsory they strongly recommended to wear them indoors.

“It is an added precaution until we get to 90 per cent vaccinated,” she said.

Ms Palaszczuk said she encouraged people who were due to get their booster shot should go to their nearest GP after five months of their second vaccine.

COVID-19 Update: The Queensland Premier is receiving her booster vaccination. #covid19https://t.co/O7mYyo5Tfo

— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) December 20, 2021

FULL LIST OF EXPOSURE SITES

“If you are unvaccinated now is the time to go and get the vaccine, and it also important to get your booster shot if you are at your five month mark,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

She said there were hundreds of people in isolation at the moment, and confirmed nearly 200,000 border passes had been processed.

Dr Gerrard said health authorities were working with federal authorities to look at a plan of how to deal with the Omicron strain, with masks a key factor.

“The mandates that we have placed on masks here in Queensland are relatively gentle, but we ask above and beyond what is mandated,” he said.

“If you’re going to the theatre or the cinema, wear a mask.”

“Part of the problem with Omicron is gaining little bits of information every day. The good news is it appear the vaccines we are using are effective in preventing severe disease and in the end that’s what it’s all about.”

Residents were asked to continue checking Queensland Health’s website for exposure sites, of which there are about 400 to date.

Dr Gerrard said people were proactively wearing masks when there was no mandate.

When asked if those who come from interstate were monitored to see if their day five test was negative, Dr Gerrard said “it’s not something we are actively monitoring, we are relying on the good will of the people”.

A reporter said: “You’ve got no idea, it’s out of control isn’t it” to which Dr Gerrard said:

“The main thing is we want people who have symptoms is to come forward and get tested”. “This is not going to be the main source of infection in Queensland, the virus is already here and it has nothing to do with the five-day testing.

“The virus is in the community, it is widespread. It is here.

“The message is, it is here and need to approach our lives as such.”

Again taken to task by the reporter, who called the lack of monitoring of interstate travellers day-five test as a “shambles”, Dr Gerrard said: “it’s not an important aspect of the public health response, it’s a minor aspect of the public health response”.

He said the reason Omicron was spreading had nothing to do with the five-day test.

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