Queensland records no new Covid cases as State Government launches vaccine hubs at patrolled beaches

Authorities are expecting a possible 40,000 vehicles to be stopped and hundreds of new cases every day once Queensland’s borders open from December 17.

Queenslanders have been warned that they should expect to see hundreds of cases a day once the borders open up, but that might not occur until next year.

Meanwhile, authorities say up to 40,000 vehicles were expected to be stopped at the state’s hard border checkpoints which will remain in place until the 90 per cent vaccinated target.

It comes after Queensland recorded no new Covid cases overnight with only 13 active cases in the state.

Deputy chief health officer Dr James Smith said it was really hard to calculate how many cases exactly there would be once interstate borders opened up on December 17 because it depended on what seeding events happened.

“We do expect that we will see seeding events – and by that I mean people coming in with coronavirus that set off smaller outbreaks,” he said.

“Those outbreaks will become more difficult to control when there’s more outbreaks than we’ve had previously.

“So in the past we’ve had small numbers of cases that we’ve been able to very intensively manage.

Deputy chief health officer Dr James Smith. Picture: Liam Kidston

“That will become more and more difficult as we get more cases.

“So we will anticipate that it will become endemic, or spread within the community probably before the end of this year.

“Eventually I’d expect to see hundreds of cases a day.

“I’m not sure I’d see them – and I am using a bit of a crystal ball here – I’m not sure I’d see that before the end of the year, but certainly into next year we would.”

He said contact tracing would continue and “would never fall completely by the wayside”, but would not be as intense.

“At the moment we’re following up with people very intensely, looking at their bank transactions, CCTV, really trying to pinpoint exactly where they’ve been, at what time.

“That’s not going to be possible.

“It won’t also be as necessary when we get more and more cases.”

Dr Smith said the aim would be to reduce the burden of disease and substantially reduce the likelihood of spread, “but there will be cases and transition events that slip through the cracks”.

Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said the hard borders would remain until 90 per cent but the exact operation of them was still being discussed.

“We’re around 20,000 vehicles per day being intercepted.

“We expect that to double.

“Every time we do this it has been pretty untidy, pretty lumpy … we will see delays,” he said.

He said authorities expected people would try to thwart border rules, but police were pretty good at catching them.

Police Minister Mark Ryan launches vaccination hubs at Queensland beaches.

Seventy-seven per cent of the population has now received their first dose and 63 per cent of Queenslanders are fully vaccinated.

Across the state, 6.1m vaccines have been delivered.

“But we need more,” Police Minister Mark Ryan said.

“There are still people out there who are not yet vaccinated.

“This is the weekend.

“You’ve got to go out there and get vaccinated … go to your local beach, to your GP, and pharmacy, at a theme park.”

Mr Ryan, speaking from Caloundra, said this weekend was the last chance for Queenslanders to get vaccinated to ensure they were protected when the borders open on December 17.

“You are running out of time, this is the last weekend to get your first dose so you are fully vaccinated by the time the borders open,” said Mr Ryan.

Saturday 30 October – coronavirus cases in Queensland:

0 new cases, detected in Queensland overnight.#covid19pic.twitter.com/kTK5unHDHZ

— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) October 30, 2021

Mr Ryan used today’s Covid update to launch this weekend’s vaccination campaign by Surf Life Saving Clubs, which includes the flying of an aircraft with the banner ‘Be a lifesaver, get a jab’ from the Sunshine Coast down to the Gold Coast.

Marking the sunny day, he said Queenslanders would continue to be able to enjoy their freedoms “because Queenslanders are stepping up to get vaccinated,” he said.

Mr Ryan was asked about Queensland being left behind due to its continuing quarantining rules until 90 per cent double vaccination levels.

“The sooner we get to 90 per cent, the sooner we get to enjoy even more freedoms than they are now,” he said.

He said continuing those postures around the border was important to keep Queenslanders safe and that’s what the people wanted the government to do.

“We’ve based our plan about reuniting families around the medical advice,” she said.

He said if people rolled their sleeves up faster, then things could open up faster.

Mr Ryan said that Queensland Health had good people working for it and the state was in safe hands, despite Dr Krispin Hajkowicz declining the role at the last minute.

He said it would be up to the selection panel now to look at the short-listed candidates or decide whether or not to seek new expressions of interest.

He said people who wanted to travel internationally freely should encourage their fellow Queenslanders to be vaccinated.

“Of course if more Queenslanders get vaccinated faster then we can open up sooner,” he said.

“We’re on the way to opening the borders which means Covid will come into the state.”

Six theme parks and more than 20 surf life saving clubs have joined the vaccination rollout this weekend.

Originally published as Queensland records no new Covid cases as State Government launches vaccine hubs at patrolled beaches