Premier’s plea to Gold Coast to get jabbed as state’s Covid cases explode
Queensland’s Covid-19 cases have almost doubled in the past 24 hours, hitting 369, and there are now confirmed cases all over the State.
Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard said not only was the rapid spread of the virus inevitable but it was necessary to increase herd immunity.
Dr Gerrard said on Thursday that wherever Queenslanders lived they needed to assume they would now be exposed to the virus.
The doubling of figures in Queensland is following a similar trajectory in the southern states where cases are now skyrocketing and comes as 30,000 travellers from those hotspots enter Queensland each day.
So far, almost 300,000 people have been granted passes to enter the State and there are warnings that the Gold Coast, a tourist gateway, is particularly exposed because not enough of that population is yet vaccinated.
Premier Annastacia Palaszuk said she was concerned the Gold Coast did not have the high rates of vaccination that were needed in a tourist destination.
“There are thousands of people coming here from NSW and Victoria, where the virus is rampant — they’re coming here to the Gold Coast and the Gold Coast is exposed because people are not vaccinated,” she said.
Gerrard said the spread of this virus inevitable, but also necessary.
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“In order for us to go from the pandemic phase to an endemic phase the virus has to be widespread. We all have to have immunity,” he said.
He said the only two ways to achieve this were vaccination or getting infected.
“Once the virus is spreading, once we all have some degree of immunity, the virus becomes endemic. This virus is much more contagious than the previous strains,” he said, adding this was somewhat of a surprise but it also appeared milder.
Gerrard said stopping the virus was not an option. Slowing it to allow people to be vaccinated and get booster shots was the important thing.
“I think it is important at times like this, as numbers increase, that we reflect on what exactly we are trying to do and where we are going,” he said, in urging calm at the increasing numbers and the need for immunity.
And given the virus has now spread to most areas –Banana Shire, Bundaberg, Cairns, Mareeba, Townsville, the Whitsundays, Toowoomba, Gympie, Ipswich, Logan, Maranoa, Moreton Bay, Noosa, Redland, the Southern Downs, Sunshine Coast and all over Brisbane – Dr Gerrard warned there was nowhere to hide.
“Wherever you live, you need to assume that you will be exposed in the coming weeks to the virus,” Gerrard said.
On Thursday, there were 807 active cases in the State and only patient in hospital due to COVID-19 but who has other compounding medical problems.
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Gerrard said that patient is in ICU but not on a respirator.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said an escalation of cases, mirroring the NSW and Victorian experience, was to be expected in Queensland.
And she urged everyone to wear masks at all times indoors.
Palaszczuk said that 90.1 per cent of Queenslanders had now had one dose of the vaccine and 85.36 per cent were double jabbed.
So far, 121, 455 people have received the booster shot.
Cases in New South Wales on Thursday skyrocketed to 5715, up a massive 2000 from the previous day.
Victoria recorded 2005 new cases and 10 deaths.
It follows an emergency National Cabinet meeting on Wednesday where Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a $10 increase in payments to GPs and pharmacies for vaccine appointments in a bid to get more boosters in arms.
But any decision on reducing the gap for boosters from five months to four after the second vaccine dose is yet to be made by the immunisation advisory body, ATAGI.
Morrison is also not in favour of mandatory PCR tests 72 hours prior to interstate travel. Anyone travelling to Queensland from southern hotspots must have a negative test 72 hours prior to travel.
However, with virus caseloads exploding in NSW and Victoria and testing centres being overrun, there is growing anger amongst travellers whose Christmas holiday plans have been thrown into chaos.
Palaszczuk is standing firm on the Government’s decision to demand the PCR tests 72 hours before travel, saying a plan to bring in the quicker rapid antigen tests remained at January 1.
