‘Aggressive’ contact tracing in Qld as clusters expand
There are more positive COVID cases linked to the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre. Photo: ABC
Queensland confirmed eight more coronavirus cases on Wednesday, all linked to existing clusters.
Five of the cases are from the same family, in the same household, and relate to the outbreak at the Queensland Correctional Services training academy at Wacol in Brisbane’s west.
A further three are linked to a cluster at the Ipswich Hospital, including two health care workers already in quarantine and one of their children.
The ABC understands the child is a Year 11 student at St Edmund’s College.
The boy tested positive to the virus on Tuesday, and the school has been closed for cleaning.
Queensland health workers are also “aggressively” tracing contacts of people potentially exposed to an outbreak at a hospital.
A health alert has also been issued for another two venues, Ipswich Garden Centre and a nearby Coles in Karalee were both visited by an infected person about lunchtime on September 4.
Health Minister Steven Miles said more than 7600 people were tested overnight to Tuesday following the outbreak at Ipswich Hospital.
“Queensland Health continues to aggressively contact trace and quarantine close contacts connected to the latest cluster,” he told parliament.
A woman in her 30s was the fifth case linked with infected patients at the hospital on Monday.
A day earlier, a nurse working with infected patients also tested positive.
More than 200 staff at the hospital west of Brisbane remain in isolation.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the high number of cases was concerning, but urged Queenslanders not be alarmed.
“From the outset I want to assure Queenslanders that although that number is our highest daily tally for some time, each of those people diagnosed is related to existing cases,” she said.
“This is not a time for alarm, this is a time for thanks that our testing system is so professional.”
Virus clusters thought to be linked to two quarantine-dodging teens have now infected 85 people.
Wednesday’s jump in positive tests means Queensland has 29 active COVID-19 cases. Only infection was detected on Tuesday, in a returned traveller in hotel quarantine.
-with agencies
