QLD Cases Surpass 20,000 As Visitors Urged To Mask Up

Queensland has recorded a rapid spike in cases on Tuesday with 20,566 new infections and sadly one Covid-related death.

The rise in new cases is in part due to previous delays at private labs, which resulted in reduced figures on Monday where only 9581 cases were reported.

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With more than 109,000 cases across Queensland, 502 people are currently in hospital with Covid, with 14 of those are in ICU, and three patients on ventilators.

The rapid surge in cases and hospitalisations, continues to gain momentum, with extra pressure mounting on the state’s hospitals.

Chief health officer John Gerrard said hospitalisations are expected to continue increasing until the second week of February.

“The disease we are seeing now is quite dramatically different from what we saw at the start of pandemic,” he said.          

At the beginning of the week, Dr Gerrard revealed that more than half of the ICU cases and one-quarter of all hospital admissions were admitted on the Gold Coast.

“It looks like at the moment the surge is probably occurring on the Gold Coast, it’s not surprising, given the sheer number of interstate visitors which would cause seeding events to occur.”

- Dr Gerrard

Meanwhile, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll have both urged Gold Coast residents and visitors to adhere to mask mandates amid escalating cases in the region. 

“A lot of people are ending up our hospital wards, they’re ending up in ICU, and what we want to see is more people on the Gold Coast wearing their masks,” the premier said. “Just because you’re on holiday doesn’t mean you can’t get Covid.”

Pointing the finger at tourists, Commissioner Carroll suggested it was “predominantly ... people visiting the state” who were flaunting mask rules.

“So can I please ask, please ask, that you wear your mask,” she said. “And we will be as compassionate as we can about this, but at the end of the day if it’s blatant disregard you will be fined.”

- Comm. Carroll

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