Queensland Covid cases skyrocket to 589 new infections

Queensland’s Covid cases have hit 589 again as residents of the state are urged to get used to living with Covid.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath’s announcement follows 369 new cases recorded yesterday.

She said more than 30,000 border passes had been issued in the past 24 hours, with 322,000 border passes requested since the state opened its border on December 13.

Queensland’s long cherished Covid absence status has been demolished since it reopened its border to interstate visitors from “hot spots” on December 13.

A daily doubling of cases since the end of last week prompted the state’s chief medical officer, Dr John Gerrard, to declare yesterday that the spread of the virus in Queensland was ‘necessary’.

“In order for us to go from a pandemic phase to an endemic phase, the virus has to be widespread.

“You all have to develop immunity and you can do this in two ways, by getting the vaccine or by being infected.

“Once we do that, once we all have a degree of immunity, the virus becomes rampant, and that’s what’s going to happen.”

Dr Gerrard said on Friday the state could expect “thousands of cases” in the coming weeks.

“Even though the proportion of seriously ill people is going to be very low, when you have a large number of cases, it can translate into a significant number of people who has the potential to strain our hospitals,†Dr. Gerrard mentioned.

He said masks and other Covid restrictions were essential for Queensland hospitals to cope with the increase in cases and for people to get their booster shots in the weeks to come.

Dr Gerrard revealed that 1,365 cases have been diagnosed in the state since the borders reopened on December 13.

He said there were only three people hospitalized in Queensland with mild to moderate symptoms.

“We haven’t seen any patient in Queensland with severe Covid-19,†he said.

He said current modeling showed hospitals in the state would have the capacity to handle cases as they increased in number.

He advised people in Queensland to avoid unnecessary contact over Christmas and not to attend functions if they are not vaccinated.

“Stay away from everyone if you are not vaccinated,†he advised.

Ms D’Ath said 32 of Queensland’s 77 local government areas now had positive cases of Covid since the border reopened on December 13.

“It reiterates what we have said from the start that the virus will reach every community in Queensland,” she said.

“The degree of preparedness will depend on compliance with the rules in place and, of course, the vaccination rates.

“As high as vaccination rates are, they are not consistent across the state, and we always expect people to get vaccinated as quickly as possible to get that protection.”

Ms D’Ath said more than half of the 11,000 vaccines given in the past 24 hours were booster shots.

She announced a new toolkit available to Queenslanders designed to guide residents if they receive a positive test result.

The resource is designed to help people manage their infection through home care.

“Everyone after getting a positive test will be contacted by a healthcare professional over the next few days,” she said.

“They will be assessed for their illness, their symptoms and whether they need to manage themselves at home.

“Of course, if they’re worried in any way, call Triple 0 or go to the hospital.

Ms D’Ath said 268 Covid patients were currently in home care in Queensland.

“I hope this toolkit that we are publishing will reassure people about how to manage their illness at home as you would a cold or some other illness that you don’t have severe symptoms with and don’t have. no need to be hospitalized. “

The kit will be available on the Queensland Health Covid website.

New contact racing locations have been announced by Queensland Health in Cairns, Townsville, Central Queensland, Wide Bay, Darling Downs and Brisbane as the Omicron variant continues to spread across the state.

Despite the increase in the number of cases, which the prime minister and health director have said “expected”, there is no indication that the state will reimpose strict border controls.

‘Nothing has changed. Our roadmap is clear, we are moving forward, not backward, â€Dr Gerrard said yesterday.

Ms D’Ath welcomed the announcement by Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt on Friday morning that booster shots would be brought forward from five weeks to four on January 4 for those who had received two doses of a Covid vaccine.

“Now that we have that notice in advance, this time, I hope we are all going to be able to move our orders forward and make sure the deliveries are ready to go,” she said.

“We want boosters to be part of our normal immunization schedule. ”

Ms Palaszczuk said yesterday that more than 30,000 people a day try to enter Queensland during the holiday period, and more than a quarter of a million border passes have been applied for.

Further easing of border restrictions, including the removal of the controversial PCR test requirement within 72 hours of arrival in the state and on day 5, is expected when 90% of Queenslanders are fully vaccinated as per definition current two doses.

This mark should be crossed in the first half of January.

Currently, more than 90% of Queenslanders aged 16 and over have received a first dose of a Covid vaccine, while just over 85% have received a double dose.

There are now 1,389 active cases of Covid in the state.