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Worker from Brisbane aged-care home confirmed with COVID

The Coalition's plan to pay cash bonuses to aged-care workers has fallen flat with a key adviser.

The Coalition's plan to pay cash bonuses to aged-care workers has fallen flat with a key adviser. Photo: Aged Care Reviews

There have been two new cases of coronavirus in Queensland overnight, including a staff member at the Karinya Place aged care home at Laidley, west of Brisbane.

There is also a possible case at Airlie Beach in north Queensland that was detected by a COVID-19 sewerage program.

A fever clinic will be set up at Airlie Beach on Thursday to investigate further.

The ABC understands the person who tested positive at the aged care facility was a clinical manager and his close contacts, including the aged care home’s manager and a resident, have gone into self-isolation.

The facility became aware of the positive case on Wednesday afternoon and 44 residents and 13 staff have been tested so far.

Owner of the aged care facility, Carinity, said in a statement that the clinical manager did not work while experiencing symptoms.

“Staff have been adhering to strict hygiene protocols and social distancing measures since March and have been well trained in the use of PPE [personal protective equipment],” the spokesperson said.

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said the risk to the aged care facility was low.

“But we know that you’re actually most infectious before you have symptoms,” Dr Young said.

“The work that was done to protect the Laidley aged care facility means that the risks for those residents is so much less.”

Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles said the state’s rapid responses to outbreaks were working.

Cases believe to be linked to detention centre cluster

Health Minister Steven Miles said the two new cases were linked to each other, a male and a female in their 30s.

He said the new cases were also believed to be linked to the existing cluster around the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre and the corrective services training academy, both at Wacol, in Brisbane’s west.

“But that will be investigated today,” he said.

Mr Miles said it had been two weeks since the first cases at the detention centre, during which time there had only been a small number of new cases.

“Generally among those who have had contact with other confirmed cases, and that’s really promising,” he said.

“That means our rapid responses are working.”

There are 30 active cases in Queensland with 14,273 tests conducted in the past 24 hours.

Possible case at Airlie Beach

Mr Miles said a COVID-19 detection sewerage program, by the University of Queensland and CSIRO, in the Airlie Beach area has picked up a possible case.

The Mackay Health Service will set up a fever clinic today but the situation is “not considered high risk”.

“We simply want to see an increase in the level of testing in that area so we can assure ourselves that there isn’t community transmission there that we don’t know about,” Mr Miles said.

“So we can keep our tourism industry there safe and open.”

-ABC

Topics: Aged Care
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