Cairns records another big jump in Covid cases with 91 while new case confirmed in Weipa

Cairns has recorded another sharp spike in Covid cases overnight, while two new cases have been confirmed in Weipa. Hundreds of people remain in quarantine in the region.

THE Cairns region has recorded another big Covid spike on New Year’s Eve, with Queensland Health data showing an 91 additional cases.

The new cases are among 3118 announced across Queensland.

It follows 54 new cases for Cairns on Thursday, which was more than double Wednesday’s figure of 25.

It means Cairns has now recorded 262 cases of Covid since December 19, and 344 for the entire pandemic.

There are currently six inpatients in Cairns Hospital but none are in the intensive care unit, authorities say.

One of the patients was transferred from Thursday Island and is in a stable condition.

Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service chief executive Tina Chinery said the majority of the people being seen in the hospital were unvaccinated.

“I think there is plenty of evidence not just in Queensland, nationally and worldwide, that the majority of people we are seeing in hospital are unvaccinated,” she said.

In the wake of the soaring case numbers, Cairns Hospital has introduced a no-visitor policy in its emergency department and has temporarily paused non urgent elective work.

Ms Chinery said it was to make room for the Covid ward.

“We have activated our Covid ward in the hospital now. What that means is we have had to pause temporarily non-urgent elective work so that we could reorientate our staff and our services to be prepared if we see an increase in numbers in the hospital,” she said.

Health authorities confirmed majority of the cases are coming back as the Omicron variant. But Ms Chinery said it was important not to assume you would get Omicron.

Tropical Public Health Services clinical director Richard Gair and Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service chief executive Tina Chinery. Picture: Andreas Nicola

“At this stage we don’t have the break down of Omicron versus the Delta,” she said.

“That’s why I think its very important for people not to assume they will always be okay and to get vaccinated.”

Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard has also urged Queenslanders to avoid New Year’s Eve celebrations if they feel at all unwell.

“If you have any respiratory symptoms there is a good chance it’s going to be Covid,” he said.

Queensland Health data shows more than a dozen of the new Cairns cases are attributed to the Douglas Shire area, while the majority are from the Cairns Regional Council area.

Tablelands and Mareeba areas are also represented in the new cases.

Infection sources for the new cases remain mostly under investigation.

People in line at the Cairns Hospital fever clinic earlier this week. Picture: Peter Carruthers

FULL LIST OF FNQ EXPOSURE SITES

The Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service has confirmed there are also two new cases of Covid in Weipa.

New exposure sites, including a Qantas flight, a service station and a supermarket, have been released in relation to the Weipa cases.

TCHHS chief executive Beverley Hamerton said the new cases were not connected to each other or to the first Weipa case.

“Both new cases are double vaccinated and being managed at home in a stable condition, along with family members who are also isolating,” she said.

“Both had limited contact in the community.”

It comes as two Cape York mayors called for the Torres Strait to be locked down in the wake of cases on Thursday Island.

One new cases was confirmed for the island on Friday, taking the total to 13.

Aerial views of the township of Weipa, where a second Covid case has been confirmed.

Hundreds of people remain in quarantine in the Cairns and Hinterland region, despite the rules for close contacts and isolation changing.

Queensland Health data shows that 316 people have active quarantine notices in the region as of December 31 despite changes to close-contact rules overnight.

More than 14,800 quarantine notices have been issued in Cairns since the start of the pandemic.

To combat the rise in cases the Cairns Convention Centre vax hub will open on the public holiday, January 3, from 8am to 3pm.

Originally published as Cairns records another big jump in Covid cases with 91 while new case confirmed in Weipa