National
Two new COVID-19 cases in Queensland, including mystery infection in Uber driver
Queensland has detected two new community COVID-19 cases, with another unlinked case emerging on the Gold Coast.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk urged people to come forward and get tested, saying further restrictions could be put in place if more unlinked transmission took place over the next 24 to 48 hours.
The new Gold Coast case is a man in his 50s from Carrara, who works as an Uber driver. He is fully vaccinated.
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The new Gold Coast case was infectious in the community for three days, acting Chief Health Officer Dr Peter Aitken said.
But the man had done “all the right things”, in getting vaccinated and coming forward for testing.
Dr Aitken said mandatory mask-wearing was not set to return “at this stage”.
The second community case is a young woman in her teens from Beaudesert.
She is a close contact of a confirmed case from the Moree cluster in NSW, and was tested in home quarantine.
She spent two days infectious in the Warwick community, and half a day in Beaudesert.
Ms Palaszczuk said health authorities were “not as concerned” about the dangers posed by the second case.
A third COVID-19 case was recorded in hotel quarantine, in a man who had returned from the UK.
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It comes as the state ends its mask mandate after passing the 80 per cent vaccination threshold yesterday.
Queensland also recorded three new local cases of COVID-19 yesterday, with two infectious in the community.
The source of the initial Gold Coast infection announced yesterday was not known.
The man had received one dose of the vaccine and was potentially infectious in the community for up to six days.
He is currently in hospital.
The second case yesterday was detected in Warwick, about 140km west of the Gold Coast, and is a First Nations person who is unvaccinated.
