
Queensland has recorded its first community case of COVID-19 in close to two months.
In a statement issued on Friday night, Queensland Health confirmed that Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital has been placed in lockdown after a staff member tested positive for the virus.
The diagnosis is the first since January, when a Brisbane quarantine hotel worker and her partner were diagnosed with the highly transmissible UK strain of COVID-19, sending the city into a snap three-day lockdown.
Here's what we know so far about the latest news.
The positive case.
The person who has tested positive is a doctor at the inner-city hospital who came into contact with two COVID-19-positive patients on Wednesday, March 10. Both patients are being treated for the UK strain of the virus, and it will be known tomorrow whether the doctor has contracted the same variant.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday morning, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the doctor developed symptoms after her shift on Thursday, was tested on Friday morning and the positive result was returned later that day.
Queensland's Acting Chief Health Officer Dr Sonya Bennett added that the doctor wore appropriate PPE while treating the patients and followed correct protocol once her symptoms emerged.
"What we know about this virus is that it is highly infectious. Both the rapidity at which the doctor became infectious and the fact there were no identified breaches [in PPE protocol] shows that," she said.
According to Queensland Government data, Princess Alexandra Hospital has so far administered 3,862 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, 1,615 of which went to the hospital's staff.
However, the Premier confirmed on Saturday that the positive case had not yet been vaccinated.
Public exposure sites.
The Premier said the doctor spent "limited time" in the community on Thursday, and contact tracing is underway to identify people she may have interacted with during that time, as well as any close contacts at Princess Alexandra Hospital.
Three high-risk public exposure sites have so far been identified:
- The Morning After Cafe at West End from 2:00pm to 3:15pm on Thursday
- Corporate Box gym at Greenslopes between 5:45pm and 7:00pm on Thursday
- Stones Corner Hotel at Stones Corner, between 7:00pm and 7:45pm on Thursday
Contact tracers are working to identify people who were at the above venues during the listed times so they can be quarantined.
Meanwhile, any visitors to the following low-risk locations are being advised to monitor for symptoms and get tested.
- McDonalds at Coorparoo between 3:10pm and 3:20pm (the doctor ordered and collected her food via drive-through)
- The Corporate Box gym after 7:00pm (the doctor left at this time, though gyms have been identified as high-risk transmission locations for COVID-19)
Saturday 13 March – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) March 13, 2021
• 1 new locally acquired
• 3 overseas acquired
• 42 active cases
• 1,379 total cases
• 2,033,312 tests conducted
Sadly, six Queenslanders with COVID-19 have died. 1,325 patients have recovered.#covid19 pic.twitter.com/OL6MnwaQEE
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