Queensland’s active Covid cases surge beyond 8500 after 2222 new cases today

Queensland has recorded 2222 new Covid cases across 30 local government areas overnight, with the chief health officer warning of “tens of thousands of cases” within weeks.

Queensland has recorded 2222 new Covid cases overnight with the state’s total active cases surging to 8586.

Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard said there were now 10,752 cases recorded in Queensland since the pandemic started.

He said authorities would be talking “tens of thousands of cases” in coming weeks, and some would likely go into intensive care.

“Trying to relay this message in a balanced manner is quite difficult,” he said.

He said people were still presenting to hospital after they recorded a positive result, but said in most cases that was not necessary.

“The illness will be mild in the vast majority of you,” he said.

Dr Gerrard has urged Queenslanders to continue checking in despite the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) reviewing the process of contact tracing.

The top doctor insists those who have been at an exposure site are being contacted by Queensland Health but this may change in the coming days.

Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard. Picture: Richard Walker

“All of these issues containing to contact tracing are currently under review,” he said.

“Whether there are changes to the way we use it will come out in the next few days.”

Dr Gerrard said “it is not our intention to impose lockdowns” on areas with low vaccine coverage after it was revealed the Indigenous community in Cherbourg had reported a case in the last 24 hours.

The Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council has a double jab rate of just 52.8 per cent, which is significantly lower than the Queensland average.

He said there are 11 cases in Thursday Island and one recorded in Cherbourg overnight.

“It will depend on what the local community wants to do but we do not want to impose lockdowns on communities,” Dr Gerrard said.

“It’s not something that we feel is the right thing for us as a government to be doing.

“But we will certainly liaise with the local community to determine what they would like to do.”

Queensland Health has ordered 7 million rapid testing kits and said there was supply within hospitals.

Patients are being tested with the rapid kits in emergency departments, Dr Gerrard said.

Education Minister Grace Grace. Picture: David Clark

Education Minister Grace Grace said the new cases had been detected in 30 local government areas while no patients were being treated in intensive care.

Ms Grace said 86.1 per cent of Queenslanders were now fully vaccinated.

She said it was beyond time for people to get vaccinated, and encouraged people to get their booster shot if eligible.

“Omicron does not discriminate, it is highly contagious,” she said.

She said masks must be worn indoors.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called a snap national cabinet meeting today after an explosion of cases led to a near collapse of Covid-19 PCR testing capabilities in many states.

The meeting will discuss a new definition of a close contact, with current guidelines making it impractical to live with the virus when the volume of cases was so high.

It comes as fearful Queenslanders are doing their own contact tracing as authorities wind back efforts to slow the virus, amid concerns the government-mandated check-in app is not being used to automatically notify people exposed to Covid-19.

Dr Gerrard said he welcomed the new definition of close contacts to become those who are directly connected with a known infection within their household rather than a brief encounter at retail or hospitality venues.

“If we continue using our current settings, then soon all of us will be in quarantine and the state won‘t function,” he said.

Originally published as Queensland’s active Covid cases surge beyond 8500 after 2222 new cases today