Qld to record COVID-19 case in border town
Goondiwindi is on alert after a COVID-19 case was infectious at a number of supermarkets in the southern Queensland border town.
Mayor Lawrence Springborg says the new case, which is set to be the first recorded in Queensland in nine days, may have caught the virus on a trip to the northern NSW town of Moree, where there is an outbreak.
The patient, who was being treated in Goondiwindi Hospital, has been flown to a facility equipped to treat and isolate COVID-19 patients in Brisbane.
Darling Downs Health is investigating whether there are any other cases, the mayor says, with a number of household contacts in isolation.
"We will await advice from Queensland Health about the risk to our community, and any potential changes to restrictions in our region," Mr Springborg said in a statement on Wednesday night.
"With four confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Moree Plains Shire Council area, we are also paying close attention to any potential changes to border restrictions.
"This situation is likely to be rapidly evolving in the coming days, and council will continue to work closely with authorities as the situation transpires to do what it can to keep our community safe."
Queensland Health has listed a number of virus exposure sites, including Coles and Kmart, on Sunday and Monday.
However, the mayor said residents could take comfort that Goondiwindi's vaccination rates were so high.
Commonwealth figures show that, as of Monday, 90.9 per cent of eligible residents have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 81.5 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Queensland Health has also listed a truck stop in the town as a potential COVID-19 exposure site after an infected truck driver tested positive interstate.
Meanwhile, Queensland health workers have called on the federal and state governments to strike a new funding deal to help hospitals cope with rising demand as the state prepares to open to fully vaccinated travellers later this year.
The union demands come as a Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union survey of workers at Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital, the second biggest in the state, showed 92 per cent of them were not confident the facility could cope with a local virus outbreak.
"Nurses, midwives and health care staff see firsthand the impact of unprecedented demand on our health services and beds," QNMU secretary Beth Mohle said in a statement on Thursday.
"Invaluable staff are burning out trying to provide quality care under extreme conditions.
"Our governments need to urgently address these issues and listen to our solutions so we can continue to provide the quality care Queenslanders deserve."
Queensland recorded no new virus cases on Wednesday with the last local COVID-19 infections recorded on October 26.
