Twenty-seven new Covid cases in Queensland with 16 linked to Delta cluster
Despite 27 new cases, 16 of which are linked to southeast Queensland’s Delta cluster, chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young is hopeful of the eight-day lockdown ending on Sunday.
QLD News
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The southeast lockdown could be lifted as planned on Sunday after chief health officer Dr Jeannette revealed she was surprised that Queensland was “so far in front of the virus” at this stage.
It comes after 27 new cases across Queensland, with 16 of those linked to the Delta cluster, which has grown to 79 cases.
The other 11 cases are located on the PAN Europe – an LNG tanker off the Port of Gladstone – and were acquired overseas.
Only three of the locally acquired cases were infectious in the community for one day (July 31) and another was infectious in the community for two days (July 30 and 31).
The rest were all in quarantine when the virus was detected.
Three of the cases are linked to Ironside State School, nine are household contacts of those cases, one is a teacher at Brisbane Grammar, two are students at Brisbane Grammar and one is a household contact of those students.
“I didn’t expect we’d be so far in front of the virus,” Dr Young admitted.
“It doesn’t mean we’re through it yet, we’ve still got a long way to go but we have done really, really, really well until now so let’s see how we go in the next few days.
“Let’s see if we can lift those restrictions on Sunday.
“That would be extremely special … I am hopeful we can.
“If we are able to get out of this on Sunday, it’ll be the quickest response to a cluster of this size anywhere.”
Three of the cases announced today were under 10 (two males and one female), five, including two boys and three girls were between 10 and 19, and four men in their 20s.
There were three men and three women in the 30-39 year age bracket, and two men and two women aged 40 to 49.
The tally also includes four men aged 50 to 59 and a woman in her sixties.
Dr Young again urged people to keep checking the growing list of exposure sites in Queensland.
She said she was hopeful that the other four cases, who had been unknowingly infectious in the community, had minimal contact with people due to the lockdown.
Dr Young said Queensland still needed a high testing rate to get out of lockdown.
Dr Young said in response to news the Federal Government was exploring mass vaccination possibilities: “We are looking at a lot of different venues and once we get significant doses we will look at how to get it out there.”
Dr Young stood by her comments regarding avoiding online shopping because she said she believed that at this point in time the least amount of movement in the community as possible was important.
Asked whether the lockdown could end in other areas of Queensland even if extended in Brisbane, Dr Young said that was alway an option they considered.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said it was encouraging the 16 locally acquired cases are all linked to the existing cluster.
Mr Miles said a decision on whether the lockdown would end on Sunday is “difficult to say at this stage” because he doesn’t know what the next few days will look like.
“We will need to see those play out before we can advise Queenslanders what the arrangements will be,” he said.
“My absolute focus is on doing everything that we need to do today and tomorrow and Saturday to hopefully be able to lift the lockdown on Sunday, that is the goal right now.”
There were more than 52,000 COVID tests in the past 24 hours – another record for the Sunshine State.
One Queenslander is in ICU being treated but is not on a ventilators.
Dr Young said most of the Covid-infected children in hospital were ‘not particularly unwell’.
Twenty patients were now being cared for at home with Dr Young explaining many of the parents were doctors and could care for their sick children outside of hospital.
There are now more than 7,000 people in Queensland who are subject to a home quarantine direction
Mr Miles urged them to stay home – describing them as the first line of defence against the growing cluster.
He encouraged people to support those in quarantine.
“Queensland, we’re very pleased to report this encouraging progress,” Mr Miles said.
“We need to keep staying at home.”
Mr Miles said the Commonwealth would bring forward the allocation of some Pfizer vaccines this month that were due to come to Queensland in September.
The Deputy Premier said he would like the decision to be made on whether the lockdown would be extended as soon as possible but would wait and see what happens over coming days.
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said half of the accelerated doses of Pfizer would arrive next week.
A total of 22,600 doses of AstraZeneca will go to 113 pharmacies with deliveries starting today.
Ms D’Ath said the rising global death toll was a good reminder about why Queenslanders were staying home.
Deputy police commissioner Steve Gollschewski said police handed out 253 masks yesterday which he said was concerning an issue 12 penalty infringement notices for people refusing to wear a mask.
Dr Young said on Wednesday it would take something “very, very very special” for the lockdown to lift on Sunday.
That was on the back of 16 new cases linked to the Delta cluster, which has swelled to 63 cases.
Originally published as Twenty-seven new Covid cases in Queensland with 16 linked to Delta cluster
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