Queensland desperately tries to contain four separate Covid clusters amid fears lockdown for millions will be EXTENDED – as two new Virgin Australia flights, an airport café and hospital eatery are exposed to virus
Queensland's lockdown could be extended as the state battles to control four concerning coronavirus outbreaks.
Anxious health officials are waiting on the results of thousands of tests as they deliberate whether to extend the current three-day lockdown across southeast Queensland, along with Townsville, Magnetic Island and Palm Island in the state's north beyond 6pm Friday.
The state is battling three outbreaks of the highly contagious Delta strain on top of a fourth cluster of the Alpha variant which spread out of hotel quarantine last month.
A decision about lockdown may not be made until Friday morning as a war of words broke out between Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, federal politicians and Australia's largest medical bodies.
More venues were added to the state's growing list of exposure sites overnight including a popular Brisbane hospital cafe, an airport newsagent, tennis courts in the city's north and two more Virgin Australia flights between Sydney and Brisbane.
The three day lockdown on large swathes of Queensland could be extended beyond Friday night. Pictured is a woman getting some sunshine and fresh air in Surfers Paradise
Passengers who were on flight VA924 from Brisbane to Sydney on Saturday June 26 from 8.05am-9.26am or flight VA957 from Sydney to Brisbane that same day from 3.56pm-5.29pm has been ordered to get tested and remain isolated until they test negative.
Do you think Annastacia Palaszczuk and Queensland CHO Jeanette Young are 'fuelling the anti-vax movement' with their announcement that under-40s shouldn't get the AstraZeneca vaccine?
Do you think Annastacia Palaszczuk and Queensland CHO Jeanette Young are 'fuelling the anti-vax movement' with their announcement that under-40s shouldn't get the AstraZeneca vaccine?
Now share your opinion
Anyone who attended the Breeze Café at the main entrance of Brisbane's Prince Charles Hospital Wednesday June 23 from 4.50pm-5.15pm or News@BNE, level 2 Domestic Terminal at Brisbane Airport on Thursday June 24 from 9.20am-10.20am is regarded as a close contact.
They must be tested immediately and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.
The same order applies to anyone who attended the Club Coops Tennis Centre, courts 7-11 in Chermside on June 28 between 8am and 10.30am.
Anyone who visited The Bay Health Club, Sandgate on Sunday June 20 from 5pm-11.59pm or Tower One, Unison at Waterfront, Newstead on Friday June 25 from 12.20pm-11.59pm should also get tested but don't have to isolate unless symptoms develop.
The two venues are regarded as low-risk contact sites.
More venues were added to the list of exposure sites on Wednesday night, including News@BNE at Brisbane Airport's domestic terminal
Latest Queensland venues declared Covid exposure sites
Anyone who has visited the following venues is considered a close contact and must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.
Breeze Café, Main entrance, The Prince Charles Hospital in Chermside on Wednesday June 23 from 4.50pm-5.15pm
News@BNE, level 2 Domestic Terminal at Brisbane Airport on Thursday June 24 from 9.20am-10.20am
Club Coops Tennis Centre, courts 7-11 in Chermside on Monday June 28 from 8am-10.30am
Passengers on the following flights must get tested and remain isolated until they test negative.
Virgin Flight VA924 from Brisbane to Sydney on Saturday June 26 from 8.05am-9.26am
Virgin flight VA957 from Sydney to Brisbane on Saturday June 26 from 3.56pm-5.29pm
Anyone who visisted the following sites at the listed times should watch for symptoms and get tested if they develop
The Bay Health Club, Sandgate on Sunday June 20 from 5pm-11.59pm
Tower One, Unison at Waterfront, Newstead on Friday June 25 from 12.20pm-11.59pm
Anyone who has visited the following venues is considered a close contact and must immediately get tested and self isolate.
Woolworths Sandgate. 8 Lagoon Street. Sunday 20 June 2021, 11.20am - 12pm
Virgin flight VA369. Brisbane to Townsville. Thursday 24 June 2021, 10.10am - 12.15pm
Brewery Cafe. Coral Sea Drive Garbutt, Thursday 24 June 2021, 12.20pm - 1.20pm
Marlin Bar. 3 Pacific Drive Horseshoe Bay, Thursday 24 June 2021, 6.15pm - 6.30pm
Barefoot art food and wine. 5 Pacific Drive Horseshoe Bay, Thursday 24 June 2021, 6.30pm - 8.30pm
Front reception, coffee stop Peppers Resort 123 Sooning St. Nelly Bay. Friday 25 June 2021, 11am - 11.15am
Magnetic Island IGA. 147/153 Sooning St. Nelly Bay. Friday 25 June 2021, 3pm - 3.15pm
B’s Salon & Barber Shop. 3/20-28 Oneills Rd Willowbank. Friday 25 June 2021, 4.50pm - 5.10pm
Drake SuperMarket. 44 John Street Rosewood, Friday 25 June 2021, 5.20pm - 5.25pm
Main St Pacific Drive Horseshoe Bay, Friday 25 June 2021, 5.30pm - 6.30pm
Thai Again restaurant. 56 Yates St Nelly Bay, Friday 25 June 2021, 6.30pm - 8.30pm
Magnetic Island IGA, 147/153 Sooning St Nelly Bay, Saturday 26 June 2021, 3pm - 3.15pm
Coffee Cart, Barge Ferry Magnetic Island Ferry Terminal Nelly Bay, Sunday 27 June 2021, 9.50am - 9.55am
Virgin flight VA374. Townsville to Brisbane, Sunday 27 June 2021, 1.18pm - 2.55pm
Millions of Queenslanders were plunged into lockdown sparked by an unvaccinated traveller who made repeated trips between Australia and Indonesia.
He was being treated at Brisbane's Prince Charles Hospital Covid-19 ward, where he infected a 19-year-old hospital receptionist working near the ward.
The receptionist from Sandgate is now at the centre of three Delta clusters was not vaccinated and was active in the community for 10 days while infectious, which included a four day trip north to Townsville and Magnetic Island.
Queensland recorded three new local cases on Wednesday, all of which are linked to existing clusters.
Two of the three recent cases are close contacts of previous cases and have been in isolation, while the third is the brother of the hospital receptionist.
The others were sparked by a NT Granites goldmine worker who caught the virus in Brisbane hotel quarantine while the another involving a Virgin flight crew member.
Anyone who played the Club Coops Tennis Centre courts 7-11 in Chermside in Brisbane's north on June 28 between 8am and 10.30am is ordered to get tested and isolate for 14 days
More more Virgin Australia flights between Brisbane and Sydney last Saturday have been added to the list of exposure sites
'We know that the Delta variant is virtually impossible to control,' Queensland's Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said.
'We're doing our best to manage that within our hotels but they're not designed for that process and we're also doing our best to manage them in our hospitals but it is a very, very dangerous variant.
Do you think Annastacia Palaszczuk should have told under-40s not to get the AstraZeneca vaccine?
Do you think Annastacia Palaszczuk should have told under-40s not to get the AstraZeneca vaccine?
Now share your opinion
'I'm going to have to look very carefully what is the next step to make our hotels and our hospitals even safer than what they were.'
Meanwhile, the blame game between state and federal politicians over Queensland's latest COVID outbreak has reached fever pitch.
Ms Palaszczuk has called for overseas arrivals to be slashed by up to 75 per cent and she doubled down on her criticism of the federal government's management of quarantine and the vaccine rollout, saying it had let Australians down.
'We have had... a magical moment in time we are never going to get back, where we could have had the entire population vaccinated before the virus arrived in this way,' she told ABC's 7.30 on Wednesday night.
'I would like to see a massive reduction. We need to do this now because we need to contain this Delta strain ... 50 per cent, 75 per cent, let's reduce this right down.'
All of Queensland's new three local cases are linked as close contacts of existing cases, as the south-east of the state starts its three-day lockdown (pictured in Brisbane on Wednesday)
She also criticised the prime minister Scott Morrison, saying national cabinet had not discussed whether to offer the AstraZeneca vaccine to people under the age of 40, if they accepted the risk of blood clots.
It comes after federal Health Minister Greg Hunt and Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews jointly lashed Ms Palaszczuk over her criticism of the Federal Government's advice on AstraZeneca earlier on Wednesday.
In a forceful reply, Gold Coast MP Ms Andrews said Ms Palaszczuk and her deputy Steven Miles were attempting to distract from their failures of state-run hotel quarantine.
'The reason that we are in lockdown here, particularly in south-east Queensland, but also in parts of northern Queensland, are because of failures by the Palaszczuk Government,' she said.
Ms Andrews cited the Covid cases of the mine worker from Bendigo placed in a hotel quarantine room between two international travellers and the unvaccinated receptionist from the Prince Charles Hospital as evidence of her claims.
A man and his son play on Main Beach at the Gold Coast on Wednesday during south-east Queensland's lockdown
The latest advice on Covid-19 vaccines in Australia
* Pfizer recommended for people aged 16 to 60
* AstraZeneca recommended for people aged over 60
* Age ranges based on relative risk between getting the AstraZeneca vaccine and developing blood clots known as thrombosis and thrombocytopenia syndrome
* Official expert medical advice does not stop someone under 60 from getting AstraZeneca jab if they want
* GPs can provide AstraZeneca to adults under 60 if Pfizer is not available, the benefits are likely to outweigh the risks for that person, and they make an informed choice
* Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who has had Pfizer, says no one under 60 should get AstraZeneca
* West Australian Premier Mark McGowan says people under 40 should not get AstraZeneca
* NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who has had two doses of AstraZeneca, says people should decide based on advice from their GP
* Prime Minister Scott Morrison says people should follow their GP's advice
* His government has provided GPs with a no-fault indemnity scheme and offered people Medicare cover for vaccine consultations
* Thousands of people under 60 have followed the PM's advice and booked in for AstraZeneca jabs with their GP
WHAT IS THE RISK FOR UNDER 60s?
* For 18-29s, the risk of a TTS blood clot is 1.9 per 100,000 AstraZeneca jabs
* For 30-39s, it is 1.6/100,000
* For 40-49s, it is 5/100,000
* For 50-59s it is 2.7/100,000
WHAT ARE THE SIDE-EFFECTS OF COVID-19 VACCINATION?
* Common side effects of vaccination include fatigue, headache, body aches and fever
* Severity of illness due to TTS (which has affected 64 Australians so far) ranges from mild blood clotting to fatal cases
* Half of TTS cases in Australia have been discharged from hospital
* One in four have been more serious and required treatment in intensive care, and two people have died
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