Covid update after new case linked to high school

Several southeast Queensland locations have been closed for cleaning, including a major high school, a uni campus and a testing facility, after a new locally acquired ‘mystery’ Covid case was identified overnight.

Queensland has recorded two new Covid-19 cases overnight, including one locally acquired case.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the new community case was a 17-year-old female student from Indooroopilly State High School.

She became unwell on Thursday and was tested.

“We are treating this as if the young lady was infectious from July 27,” Ms D’Ath said.

“At this point we understand her family has not travelled anywhere.

“Because this is an unknown, unlinked case at this stage ... masks are more important than ever.”

Authorities say the girl, who lives in Taringa, was infectious in the community for three days. Two of those days she was at school.

Indooroopilly State High School has been shut for deep cleaning after a Covid case. Picture: Tara Croser

Ms D’Ath said the girl’s family members were now being tested.

Indooroopilly State High School told parents overnight that the school would today be closed for deep cleaning after a “person associated with the school community” was diagnosed with Covid-19.

The school will be a ghost town until at least next week after Queensland Health asked close contacts of the infected 17-year-old student to isolate, get tested and await contact from Queensland Health.

It defined close contacts as those who were at the school from 8-10am on Tuesday and 8am-3.30pm on Wednesday. The school has 2500 students.

A Covid testing centre is being set up in the school car park and will be open until Tuesday.

A community vaccination hub in Ipswich has also closed for cleaning after the student visited the centre yesterday.

The centre in the Nicholas Street Precinct in Ipswich will remain closed for the remainder of Friday.

It is understood the community vaccination clinic will be added as an exposure site.

A community vaccination hub in Ipswich has closed for cleaning after the student who tested positive to Covid-19 visited the centre yesterday.

The University of Southern Queensland Springfield campus has also been closed today after it was linked to the Covid-positive case.

“Members of our Springfield University community were engaged with the school this week and as a precaution we will be closing the campus until Monday morning,” a statement from the university said.

“This closure will enable a precautionary clean of the campus while we await further information from the Queensland Government.”

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young confirmed the school was contacted about midnight after health authorities became aware of the case.

She said how the girl caught the virus was a mystery and described the case as “quite concerning”.

“I’m struggling to understand how she’s acquired it,” she said.

Dr Young said she was waiting genomic sequencing on the case, which was expected to come back this afternoon.

The girl is now in hospital.

Meanwhile three people have been fined after giving false border declarations.

While another person who was quarantining at home has been fined after visiting their elderly mother.

A person inside Joe’s Place Backpackers looks out a window after the facility was shut because of a positive Covid-19 case. Picture: John Gass

Earlier this week it was revealed that a man staying at a Brisbane CBD backpackers had also tested positive to the virus.

He had arrived in Brisbane from the Philippines via Papua New Guinea on July 3, completed two weeks’ quarantine at the Quest Apartments Hotel and then flew to WA.

But he was denied entry and placed on a return flight to Queensland after his entry pass to WA was ruled invalid.

The man became unwell after checking into the City Backpackers in Brisbane’s CBD and tested positive to the Alpha variant of Covid-19 on Monday.

Writing in an open letter published in The Courier-Mail today, Dr Young urged Queenslanders to continue wearing masks.

“Queensland, Covid-19 is coming,” she said.

“It’s unfortunate but almost inevitable that we will see a rise in Covid-19 cases here in coming months.

“That’s why I am pleading with Queenslanders to wear masks when they are in public.”

Originally published as Covid update after new case linked to high school