Coronavirus Qld: Vaccine plan rolls on as one new case detected

A woman who attended a “a significant superspreader event” in Byron Bay has been added to Queensland’s historical COVID-19 tally, as one new case was detected in hotel quarantine overnight.

A woman who attended a hen’s party in Byron Bay has been added to Queensland’s COVID-19 tally.

Chief health officer Jeannette Young said serology revealed that the woman had been infected despite four previous tests returning negative results.

“It’s most likely therefore that because they went to that party at Byron Bay, that’s where they acquired the infection,” Dr Young confirmed on Monday.

Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

Dr Young said the woman posed no risk to anyone else in the community because she went straight into quarantine when her close contact tested positive.

“It just confirms there was a significant superspreader event at that party, which we suspected all along,” she said.

Thirteen people connected to the person at the centre of the Byron Bay outbreak, which was linked to the Princess Alexandra Hospital cases that sent Greater Brisbane into a snap lockdown, have since tested positive to COVID-19.

“The vast majority of people attended the party,” Dr Young said, adding others were housemates of attendees.

Additional restrictions remain in place across Greater Brisbane until Thursday.

Overnight, Queensland recorded one case of COVID-19 which was acquired overseas and detected in hotel quarantine.

That case is from PNG.

Dr Young said the historical case had been at home during their infectious period so there were no concerns.

She said there is no need to change any policies in place.

She said the case had four PCR tests which had all come back negative.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the state would keep rolling out its vaccine plan subject to supply.

She said some work was under way following the new advice last week involving the AstraZeneca jab.

The Health Minister ruled out lifting the current COVID restrictions earlier than midday Thursday.

She said officials were confident, but would need to await the next couple of days before making a decision on whether to lift them.

Originally published as Coronavirus Qld: Vaccine plan rolls on as one new case detected