Qantas flight hostess ‘possibly infectious’ on six flights across Queensland

Queensland is on edge after a Qantas flight attendant flew all over the state while infected with Covid-19. Her Delta infection has not been linked.

Health authorities are scrambling to trace a new infection in Queensland after it was revealed a regional crew member was “possibly infectious” on six flights across the state.

The QantasLink flight attendant worked on multiple flights between Brisbane, Longreach, Gladstone and Hervey Bay on July 11 and 12.

Chief health officer Jeanette Young urged all residents in the remote communities to come forward for testing as her team races to figure out where the infection came from.

“Those people who live in Longreach, Gladstone or Hervey Bay — it is really important that you come forward and get tested if you have any symptoms,” she told reporters on Friday morning.

“Just be aware. Similarly, we are working through with CCTV footage at the Brisbane airport and other airports to see who else this flight attendant might have come into contact with.”

The flight attendant travelled extensively in Queensland. Picture: Supplied

Dr Young has urged residents in the impacted towns to come forward for testing. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The Qantas flights the woman in her 30s worked on include flight 2534 from Brisbane to Longreach on July 11, flight 2535 from Longreach to Brisbane on July 11, flight 2346 from Brisbane to Gladstone on July 11, flight 2331 from Gladstone to Brisbane on July 12, flight 2374 from Brisbane to Hervey Bay on July 12, flight 2375 from Hervey Bay to Brisbane on July 12.

She also stayed at the Mercure Hotel in Gladstone on July 11.

The woman, who lives in Banyo in Brisbane’s north, then became ill on July 13 but did not come forward for testing for nearly 10 days.

Dr Young said the genome sequencing reveals the woman is “definitely linked to the Sydney cluster” and has contracted the highly infectious strain but is mystified by how and where she became infected.

“We are not sure,” the CHO said. “At this stage, we are working through how she has acquired it but she has acquired the Delta variant that is circulating today in Sydney.

“We know that is a very, very contagious variant, so that is why I want everyone on those flights immediately tested.”

The woman worked on six flights across the state.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said one of the state’s senior cabinet ministers, Glenn Butcher, was on one of the flights the infected crew member worked on.

The Regional Development and Manufacturing Minister is currently in isolation and waiting for the result of a Covid-19 test.

The new case has put the regional Queensland town of Longreach on notice, with testing already underway for all passengers at the local hospital.

A new pop-up testing clinic will open at Longreach Showgrounds this morning with Queensland Health expecting to release a detailed list of exposure sites later in the day.

The flight attendant is the only new local case reported on Friday but two more infections were detected among returning travellers in hotel quarantine.

Originally published as Qantas flight hostess ‘possibly infectious’ on six flights across Queensland