Queensland’s new mystery case confirmed with Delta variant of Covid-19

Queensland’s new mystery case, a 19-year-old health worker who spent 10 days in the community, is confirmed with the delta variant.

Queensland’s new mystery case has been confirmed as having the highly contagious Delta variant of coronavirus, which has plunged half of Australia — including Queensland — into lockdown.

The 19-year-old clerical worker from the Prince Charles Hospital had last week travelled to Magnetic Island in the state’s north and visited markets in Townsville on her trip.

She first developed symptoms last Monday, Ms Palaszczuk said, and lives with four other people in their Sandgate home.

They had also visited the Sandgate Woolworths and other venues.

A Queensland Health spokeswoman confirmed on Tuesday afternoon the hospital worker had the Delta variant.

Further sequencing work is being undertaken to determine if it clusters with any known cases.

The woman went to Sandgate Woolworths on Sunday and then the Bay Health Gym.

She worked at the Prince Charles Hospital on Tuesday and Wednesday before flying to Townsville on flight VA369 from Brisbane on Thursday.

She spent one hour at Brewery Cafe at the airport before going to Magnetic Island.

The woman travelled back from the island to Townsville on Sunday and went to the markets before flying on VA374 on Sunday to Brisbane.

Mask wearing is now mandatory in Queensland. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

Annastacia Palaszczuk plunged parts of Queensland into a snap three-day lockdown after reporting two local cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday.

The stay-at-home directive came into effect from 6pm on Tuesday for 11 local government areas in Queensland’s southeast as well as Townsville City, Palm Island and Magnetic Island.

One of the new cases revealed on Tuesday was linked to the mine cluster from the Northern Territory, while the other was described by the Premier as a brand-new community acquired case.

“I can’t be definitive how they got it,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

She said she was concerned by the multiple sources of infections threatening the state — the mine cluster, five Virgin flights with an infected flight attendant on-board and the Portuguese restaurant outbreak.

“Then I have got this fourth case that may be linked to that case through the Portuguese restaurant cluster, or it may be linked to one of those overseas travellers that’s been admitted to the Prince Charles Hospital, or it could be another linkage that I have just got to work through,” the Premier said.

The 11 southeast Queensland local government areas affected by the stay-at-home orders are Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands, Moreton Bay, Brisbane, Gold Coast, the Scenic Rim, Lockyer Valley and Somerset.

The four approved reasons to leave home during the lockdown include:

• To buy essentials such as groceries or medications
• Work or study if you can’t do either from home
• Exercise in your local area
• Healthcare or to provide help, care or support

“One is essential work that you cannot do from home or essential study that you cannot do from home,” chief health officer Jeannette Young said.

“You can travel wherever you would normally travel to do that essential critical work, essential critical study, so you can leave home for those reasons.

Dr Jeannette Young said the authorities were concerned about the prospect of the Delta strain in the community. Picture: NCA NewsWire/John Gass

“If you have responsibilities to provide care to someone who is vulnerable, you can leave your home to where that is.

“Then, of course, you can leave your home to buy essential supplies — that’s food and medications, so things that are essential and you can leave home for your own essential health care of course.”

Queensland has become the fourth jurisdiction to be plunged into lockdown following Western Australia, Northern Territory and NSW.

Access to the full list of exposure sites is available here.