Qld Covid-19: Zero new cases as regional jab push continues

Annastacia Palaszczuk says businesses can decide for themselves whether to ban the unvaccinated.

Annastacia Palaszczuk has joined colleagues on a tour of Queensland’s region as the state government ramps up the push for more Covid-19 vaccinations in regional Queensland.

Speaking in Maryborough, the Premier announced that Queensland still has no local cases of Covid-19.

One case has been picked overnight in hotel quarantine.

Speaking later in Townsville, she said vaccination rates there were at 68.1 per cent with first dose and 56.7 per cent with both doses.

Seven new pop up clinics will open in Townsville in a push to get more North Queenslanders vaccinated, she said.

When asked about whether businesses should only open their doors to vaccinated people, the Premier said it would be up to them.

“I’m just urging everyone to get vaccinated. It fundamentally comes down to a health issue,” she said.

She said if people don’t get vaccinated they could be missing out on flying with certain airlines and quarantine-free travel into Queensland.

Ms Palaszcuk said that there was a need for booster shots but it would be part of the federal government’s plan.

North Queensland: The Premier is in Townsville as part of Queensland’s vax-a-thon week. #covid19https://t.co/dQdi6b6djb

— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) October 20, 2021

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said evidence from overseas has shown there needed to be three shots to be fully protected.

“We can rapidly roll out those booster shots as soon as we get the go ahead,” she said.

Dr Young said that there would still be a possibility that communities with low vaccination rates would go through lockdowns while the state reopens.

“I desperately hope it won’t happen, but of course if you’ve got a community with very low vaccination rates, maybe one of the only strategies while people get vaccinated is to recommend to the premier that people have to lock down in that community,” she said.

The state conducted 9805 tests and injected 15,825 vaccines in the past 24 hours, and is now sitting at 72.81 per cent for the first dose and 57.45 fully vaccinated.

Ms Palaszczuk, who also announced a large investment in train building in Maryborough, said Queensland was in the best position to weather “the storm” if we are fully vaccinated.

“I can’t look after you if you don’t hop on the lifeboat,” she said.

“We’ve got 11 days to go to get everyone vaccinated.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is continuing to travel throughout Queensland to push vaccination. Picture: Jack Tran/Queensland Government.

The premier said the government would be talking to businesses about the details of the second road map over the coming weeks.

“The storm is coming, we need to be prepared … I can’t help you unless you’re on the lifeboat,” she said.

She also said there would be strategies put forward to make it easier for First Nations people to get vaccinated in coming days.

Ms Palaszczuk said people driving into the state by December 17 could face border checks by police to ensure they were fully vaccinated before entering Queensland.

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said the Wide Bay had a first class public health unit but the people needed to protect themselves.

Dr Young encouraged everyone in regional Queensland over 12 years old to get their jab.

“You would have been reassured until now, that won’t last,” she said.

Dr Young said future cases of Covid would still need to isolate, as would primary contacts of a confirmed case.

She said it is likely that most people would be able to be managed at home in a “virtual ward”.

Asked why overseas travellers would still have to quarantine for two weeks when entering Queensland after December 17, but those coming interstate hot spots would not, Dr Young said it was due to overseas travellers being riskier.

She said it was up to the Commonwealth whether or not Queenslanders have to quarantine after returning home from overseas.

“At this point in time, the Commonwealth has determined that all countries around the world are at high risk and we need to quarantine,” she said.

Chief Health officer Jeannette Young. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

Queensland will also be allowing green flights again from the South Island of New Zealand, but this doesn’t extend to anyone who has visited the North Island in the past 14 days.

Treasurer Cameron Dick called on young Queenslanders to do the “right thing” by their community against the “insidious” Delta strain of Covid-19.

“If you are unvaccinated, Delta will find you, and it will harm you and your family and your community,” he said.

Ms Palaszczuk also revealed a major investment in train manufacturing, with 65 trains to be built in Maryborough in a $7 billion investment.

“We said we’d bring train manufacturing back and this announcement secures it and triples that investment,” she said.

Ms Palaszczuk said some of the trains would be used for the Cross River Rail during the Olympics.

“This is the first local announcement for the Olympics, and it’s being done here in regional Queensland,” she said.

Transport minister Mark Bailey said Maryborough would become a “boomtown” with a state of the art, rail manufacturing facility to be built at Torbanlea to build the 65 trains that will be used during the 2032 Olympics.

The train manufacturing facility will mean 800 full time jobs for the region, local member Bruce Saunders said.

From Maryborough, the Premier will fly to Townsville with Treasurer Cameron Dick and Ms Young.

Ministers Mark Ryan, Grace Grace, Mark Furner, Scott Stewart, Leeanne Enoch have all travelled outside of Brisbane on Thursday.

It comes as a second road map detailing specific restrictions that unvaccinated Queenslanders will face is being compiled by the state government.

Unvaccinated people have been warned they now have less than two weeks to get their first jab if they wanted to be protected once domestic borders reopened in December.

Meanwhile, Australia is set to become one of the most vaccinated countries in the world, as the first major milestone in the national reopening plan of 70 per cent of the population fully vaccinated is to be reached today.

Health Minister Greg Hunt confirmed the news on Wednesday in Canberra, telling reporters 70.007 per cent of the population was now fully vaccinated.

Originally published as Qld Covid-19: Zero new cases as regional jab push continues