Covid-infected rideshare driver Duran Raman, 36, tries to flee virus quarantine at Gold Coast University Hospital
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has slammed an unvaccinated rideshare driver with Covid-19 for allegedly verbally abusing nurses and trying to flee hospital quarantine.
Gold Coast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Gold Coast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk has slammed an unvaccinated rideshare driver with Covid-19 for allegedly verbally abused nurses and trying to flee hospital quarantine.
It’s also alleged Broadbeach man Duran Raman, 36, has claimed the global coronavirus pandemic is a sham, despite being placed on high-flow oxygen late last week for his illness.
Multiple sources have raised concerns about Mr Raman’s behaviour, which resulted in Queensland Police being called to Gold Coast University Hospital over the weekend.
Speaking to media on Monday afternoon, an unimpressed Ms Palaszczuk said she had some advice for Mr Raman.
“I’ve heard those reports and he should just sit tight and get better,” she said.
“It is going to be of no help to anyone to have an infectious person running around the Gold Coast.”
A source said Mr Raman had been “abusing the nurses all night, calling them C--ts, and “saying he doesn’t really have Covid and that Covid isn’t real”.
“He left his room and exposed the whole ward to Covid,” he alleged.
“They had to call police.”
Another source has confirmed Duran had been “abusing” healthcare staff and at one stage he left his negative pressure or isolation room.
It’s also understood Mr Raman fled Robina Hospital when he was initially admitted and his family had to be tracked down via the White Pages phone directory.
Mr Raman is also being investigated for breaching the Queensland-NSW border blockade.
Last week, Mr Raman – who authorities said had not used the Check In Qld app since mid-September – was identified as being the city’s new Covid-19 case.
He visited Melbourne on October 10 before returning to the Coast, according to Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young.
A Gold Coast police spokeswoman said: “Police are not investigating an incident at a health facility on the Gold Coast.”
“Around 9am yesterday police were called to a health facility due to a minor disturbance.
“The matter was resolved quickly and without any issue.”
The spokeswoman said there was “no breach of a Public Health Direction”, but hospital security was “a matter for Queensland Health”.
Queensland Health was sent an extensive list of questions.
A spokesman replied: “There is no risk to the public or staff.”
“All patients isolating in Covid-19 wards are required to stay in their rooms until they are discharged.”
Negative pressure rooms keep patients with infectious illnesses such as Covid-19 away from other patients, visitors and healthcare staff.
They are called negative pressure because the air pressure inside the room is lower than the air pressure outside the room.
This means that when the door is opened, potentially dangerous particles from inside the room will not flow outside into non-contaminated areas.
Coast Covid case: Raman’s condition ‘improving’ in hospital
October 24: The condition of a Gold Coast rideshare driver who was infectious in the city for up to 10 days has improved in hospital.
On Thursday, Duran Raman, 36, was revealed as Queensland’s first positive community case in 15 days.
A Queensland Health spokeswoman said the man’s condition was “improving” on Sunday, but he remained “quite sick” and in a stable condition.
Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said police had “almost” completed the investigation into how Raman made it over the border from Melbourne.
He said police would wait until they spoke with Raman before releasing more details to the public.
‘Get vaccinated’: Jab push as Raman remains ‘unwell’ in hospital – October 23
THE Gold Coast rideshare driver who was infectious in the city for up to 10 days remains “unwell” in hospital.
Deputy chief health officer James Smith said Duran Raman, 36, was in a “serious but stable” condition in hospital, but was not in the intensive care unit.
Dr Smith said health officials and police were yet to get further information from the man.
“There’s challenges obtaining information from him,” he said.
On Friday Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said Gold Coast University Hospital medicos were “keeping a very close eye on him”.
“That is terrible. He is a very young, fit man who was not vaccinated and he is now extremely sick.”
Dr Young used Mr Raman’s poor health as a reminder for Queenslanders to get jabbed as soon as possible.
“The best thing we can all do to protect ourselves is to get vaccinated so we don’t end up in that situation,” she said.
“He was so sick that he probably has not been out in the community so we don’t have exposure venues for him other than his place of residence.”
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said: “They can’t get further information because he is so sick.”
“Authorities are trying to get information and when he is well enough they will. It is a wait and see,” she said.
Earlier, social media accounts associated with Delta-infected Mr Raman were taken down from online.
On Thursday, Mr Raman was revealed as Queensland’s first positive community case in 15 days. Police are investigating whether he had been in Covid-riddled Melbourne, and whether he crossed the border into Queensland illegally twice.
Dr Young previously said Mr Raman was “so breathless he can hardly talk to us” and authorities were struggling to trace places he had visited.
See the list of Gold Coast exposure sites here.
“He is so sick that we’re having difficulties talking to him and getting information from him,” Dr Young said.
The Broadbeach resort complex where he lives has cancelled bookings for the foreseeable future, with the building manager Greg Jermyn saying the positive case was a “shock to the system”.
Mr Jermyn said he and nine permanent residents had been forced to get Covid tests and isolate and he had to cancel holiday guests who had booked.
“It’s not the best,” he said.
“I’ve had to basically shut everything down and put letters under everyone’s doors.
“We have to isolate until we get the results.
“I don’t understand what he’s been doing the last 10 days.”
Police proving movements of infected rideshare driver
October 21: Police are scrutinising the movements of a Broadbeach man who was infected with Covid-19’s Delta variant in the community for up to 10 days, as the unit complex where he lives axes bookings.
Queensland Police are also understood to be probing whether Duran Raman, in his 30s and living in a Broadbeach unit complex, had been turned away from the road border twice.
“The Queensland Police Service is working together with Queensland Health to determine how a new community-acquired case of Covid-19 entered Queensland,” a statement read.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said it was a “wake-up call for the Gold Coast”.
It comes as the manager of The Island Beach Resort – where he had been living for the past year – put a halt on future bookings while awaiting advice from Queensland Health.
Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said on Thursday morning that Mr Raman, a “ (rideshare) driver” was “so sick we’re having difficulties talking to him”.
He tested positive at Robina Hospital on Wednesday and was active in the city for about 10 days prior. It’s the state’s first case in 15 days.
It is understood Mr Raman got a test then left the hospital against medical advice.
When it came back positive, he couldn’t be contacted by phone and staff had to find his family via White Pages.
His social media is filled with anti-vax propaganda, videos slamming the lockdown-prone Victorian Premier as a “f****** gronk”, fast cars and fast food.
Mr Raman played Aussie rules on the Gold Coast earlier this year and was a member of EMF Performance Centre, which has branches across the city.
He hasn’t visited his popular local gym in weeks, despite concerns from some members.
Mr Raman’s social media rant about the Victorian Premier came after Mr Andrews spoke about slightly relaxing restrictions in Covid-stricken Melbourne, including around playgrounds.
Mr Raman’s Instagram account shows Sydney locations tagged in late September.
“Yay playgrounds and looking after kids, you f------ gronk, you’re a gronk, look at yah, what a f------ gronk,” he said.
Mr Raman is believed to have visited Melbourne in the past month, according to health authorities, who are probing whether he was turned away at the border and whether he then unlawfully entered the state. His Instagram account also hows Sydney locations tagged in late September.
EMF Performance Centre director Scott Freeman confirmed Mr Raman was a member of the Nerang gym, but had not visited any EMF facilities since September 19.
“He has not been in any of our gyms across the whole Gold Coast in the past month so we want to advise all our members that we’re in the clear,” he said.
Mr Freeman contacted the Bulletin after seeing a photo of Mr Raman online in one of his gyms.
“We wanted to let all our members across all sites know that they are safe,” he said.
He said he had not yet been contacted by Queensland Health.
Mr Raman started developing symptoms on October 11, meaning his infectious period goes back to October 9, however, it is believed he was in Melbourne at that time.
He became increasingly unwell and presented to the emergency department at Robina Hospital on Wednesday before testing positive. He was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital that night.
Dr Young added: “He’s so sick he’s having difficulty communicating and remembering. He’s so breathless he can hardly talk to us.”
She said it was “very difficult for the Gold Coast because I can’t give you those areas that he’s been”.
“Anyone that’s been in that Broadbeach area or any of that Gold Coast area since October 11, when we believe he may have been back in Queensland, if you have any symptoms, today’s the day you really need to come out and get tested,” she said.
“We have 156,000 people on the Gold Coast, aged 16 and over, who aren’t vaccinated and we’re a little bit concerned about this person.”
Contact tracing is underway, but it is believed Mr Raman has not used the Check In Qld app since mid-September, Dr Young said.
An Uber spokeswoman said he hadn’t driven for Uber for almost a month – and suggested he may have been driving for another provider.
“This driver-partner hasn’t driven with Uber since September 19.”
Mr Raman played four Aussie rules matches for the Broadbeach Cats Australian Football Club reserves in May-June, but doesn’t appear to have hit the field in recent months.
He was described as a promising player in Melbourne in his teens.
The new case comes as local GPs ramp up efforts to get residents vaccinated.
About 71.4 per cent of eligible Gold Coasters have received their first dose and 54.9 per cent are fully vaccinated, the second lowest rate in the nation.
Staff at Gold Coast Health have been warned about the “possibility of unexpected cases of Covid presenting” and that enhanced PPE would be introduced at ICU and emergency departments, including tight-fitting N95 respiratory masks.
More Coverage
SEQ school bans student promposals, threatens suspension
An elite secondary school has banned students from ‘promposing’ to their dates for formal, with one student threatened with suspension.
Read more
Man charged with horror hammer attack on motorsport identity
A man has been arrested and charged in connection with an alleged attack on racing car driver Chris Pappas at his Gold Coast home, leaving him in a serious condition.
Read more