Qld records 16 new locally acquired Covid-19 cases but only four in community

Queensland’s chief officer has given the most positive sign yet that the state’s lockdown could end on Sunday.

Queenslanders are “so far in front” of the virus that they have been given their surest sign yet that lockdown could end on Sunday, despite 16 new local cases of Covid-19 reported on Thursday.

The state’s Delta cluster, which began at a west Brisbane high school last week, now stands at 79.

But, of the new cases announced on Thursday, all were “directly linked” to the Indooroopilly outbreak, and only four people were infectious while in the community, which Deputy Premier Steven Miles said was “encouraging news”.

Three are children from Ironside State School, nine are close contacts linked to Ironside State School, one is a teacher at Brisbane Grammar School, one is a student at the school and the others are linked to the school.

Queensland chief health officer Jeannette Young said she didn’t expect Queenslanders to be ‘so far in front’ of the virus. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

“It’s encouraging that of the cases reported today, only three were infectious in the community for one day, and one was infectious for two days,” Mr Miles said.

“The other 12 were in quarantine throughout their entire infectious period … the fact they are all linked is a positive development as well.”

Chief health officer Jeannette Young said it was “excellent” news.

“The fact that we only had five days being infectious in the community between four people is the most encouraging part,” she said.

“Those five days were while we were in lockdown. That’s what you want to happen.”

A health worker attempts to swab an unhappy toddler at a pop up Covid-19 testing clinic in Toowong, Brisbane, as Queensland battles through a Delta variant outbreak of coronavirus.Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Dr Young said she didn’t expect Queensland to be “so far in front of the virus” at this stage.

“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,” she said.

“Let’s see if we can lift those restrictions on Sunday. That would be extremely special … I am hopeful we can.”

Authorities are hopeful southeast Queensland’s Covid-19 lockdown can lift on Sunday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Mr Miles said a decision on whether the lockdown will 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.”

In the past 24 hours, 52,350 tests were recorded.

“That level of testing gives the chief health officer a chance to be confident,” Mr Miles said.

There are currently 7766 people in home quarantine.