Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk ‘absolutely furious’ after unvaccinated hospital worker tests positive for Covid-19

An ‘absolutely furious’ premier has demanded an investigation after revealing a hospital worker who tested positive for Covid-19 was not vaccinated.

A furious Annastacia Palaszczuk says there will be a full investigation into how a Queensland hospital worker who tested positive to Covid-19 was not vaccinated.

Two new locally-acquired cases have plunged parts of the Sunshine State into a snap three-day lockdown but the Queensland Premier called for a reduction in overseas arrivals until a large portion of Australia was vaccinated.

Ms Palaszczuk said 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.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said a hospital clerical worker was not vaccinated before testing positive. Picture: Jono Searle/Getty Images

She tested positive on Tuesday and health authorities have not yet confirmed what strain of the virus it is.

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said the worker spent 10 days in the community infectious since last Saturday.

Ms Palaszczuk said she was “absolutely furious” as the worker, who was stationed outside the hospital’s Covid ward, should have been vaccinated.

“There will be a full investigation into that,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“The directive said that they needed to be in the ward vaccinated. She was located outside the ward, so for some reason she wasn‘t vaccinated.”

The announcement means that southeast Queensland, Townsville City and Palm and Magnetic Island regions will go into a three-day lockdown from 6pm tonight until Friday.

Queensland's chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said the worker was in the community for 10 days.

“The risk is real, we need to go hard and fast,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

The lockdown includes all 11 local government areas in the greater Brisbane area.

Ms Palaszczuk said there needed to be a serious discussion about reducing the number of overseas arrivals as more arrivals were bringing more contagious strains into Queensland.

“Hotel quarantine is not the answer,” she said.

Holiday-makers mask up in Noosa as Queensland prepares to enter a snap-three day lockdown. Picture: Lachie Millard

“We have seen what is happening in Sydney, in WA, in the NT and I am just urging the Prime Minister, reduce the caps.”

The state’s second locally-acquired case involved a miner from Ipswich.

Two other cases were detected in hotel quarantine overnight.

Dr Young said the woman went to Sandgate Woolworths between 9am and 10.30am 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 at 10am on Thursday.

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

The woman travelled back from the island to Townsville on Sunday and went to the markets before flying on VA374 at 2.55pm on Sunday to Brisbane.