Queensland Covid cases spike with 19,932 infections and 11 deaths

Queensland has recorded 19,932 new cases and 11 deaths, down from a record 16 people who died yesterday. 

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the new cases on Wednesday during a media conference with chief health officer Dr John Gerrard.

It comes after Queensland recorded 15,962 new cases yesterday.

Ms Palaszczuk announced that from 1am this Saturday, international travellers can return and no longer have to do quarantine, if they are vaccinated. 

The premier said the decision was made possible by the state’s current vaccination rate of 91. 5 per cent of the population with one dose of a vaccine and 88.82 per cent who are double dosed. 

Travellers will need to do a RAT test within 24 hours of arrival. 

Unvaccinated travellers will still need to do two weeks of quarantine. 

‘I know a lot of people have sons and daughters overseas or parents or brothers and sisters overseas, this gives certainty to the airlines and incoming travellers that from 1:00am on Saturday, you can come into Queensland and you will no longer have to do – if you are vaccinated – quarantine,’ Ms Palaszczuk said.

‘You are free to come in.’

Dr Gerrard said the 11 new deaths comprised one person in their 30s, one in their 50s, two in their 60s, one in their 70s, three in their 80s and three in their 90s. 

‘Of these people, two had not been vaccinated, seven were double dosed and two had received boosters,’ Dr Gerrard said. 

‘These last two had received boosters were from residential aged care facilities and had very significant other medical problems.’

One of those unvaccinated was the person aged in their 30s. 

There were now 835 people in Queensland hospitals with Covid including 52 patients in ICU, 18 of whom are ventilated.

‘This gives certainty to the airlines and incoming travellers that from 1:00am on Saturday, you can come into Queensland and you will no longer have to do – if you are vaccinated – quarantine,’ Ms Palaszczuk said. Pictured: Coolangatta on the Gold Coast

Ms Palaszczuk called on domestic manufacturers to be accredited as a way to provide extra RATs in Australia. 

‘We have capacity in this country to manufacture these RAT tests. 

‘We need to ask these companies to put forward approvals and get them done quickly. Rather than searching the world to get them, we could be producing them here locally. 

‘It’s something I’d like to raise at national cabinet tomorrow.’

Ms Palaszczuk raised concern again about the vaccination rate on the Gold Coast, which is under the state average with 90.5 per cent of the population having received one dose of vaccine.

‘In terms of where people will be travelling, can I please give an added push for the Gold Coast.

‘Come and get vaccinated. If you’re due a booster, come and get it.’

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said more than 6,000 health staff were now unavailable in the state due to infection with Covid-19 or as a close contact of a positive case.

The figure had exceeded the state’s modelling of the impact of the current outbreak, she confessed.  

‘There is a greater number of health staff impacted than our previous modelling suggested, and that’s because of Omicron, with those numbers climbing in a shorter time than predicted,’ Ms D’Ath said.

The announcement private sector in terms of beds and staff would help ease the pressure on the system.