COVID-19 Strikes!

December 15, 2022

southburnett.com.au would like to apologise to our readers for “going missing” for the past week.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 struck our office last Thursday (December 8).

Anne and Dafyd are both slowly recovering now.

However, we are not the only ones in Queensland to be suffering from the disease at the moment.

The latest Queensland Health statistics, released last Friday, showed another 13,632 cases had been officially reported up until December 7.

Another 15 deaths were reported, taking the Queensland toll since the pandemic began to 2361.

A total of 320 people were being treated for COVID-19 in hospital, including eight in intensive care – the same level as the previous week.

* * *

Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard has renewed a push for people to get up-to-date with their vaccinations due to the ongoing and widespread transmission of COVID-19 in the community.

He said the number of positive cases had risen last week and was expected to keep trending upward until the fourth wave peaked.

Dr John Gerrard said a large number of people aged over 60 not up-to-date with their vaccinations were being infected.

“People in this group are at significant risk of severe illness if they contract COVID-19, so it is vital they receive four doses of the vaccine,” he said.

Dr Gerrard said Queensland Health continued to track infections to inform its response to COVID-19 and assist in determining what impact future waves may have on the community.

“More than 80 per cent of people reporting positive results in this wave are still first infections,” he said.

“As time goes on, it is natural that people who have not yet had COVID-19 will become infected.

“Given this, I am hopeful future waves will be even milder as hybrid immunity to COVID-19 becomes more widespread.”

Dr Gerrard said antiviral treatments were also an effective response to COVID-19, particularly for people over the age of 70.

“Queenslanders over the age of 70 should have a plan to obtain antiviral treatments if they do get infected,” he said.

“There has been an increase in the use of antiviral treatments during this fourth wave, and I am hopeful this will continue.”

Dr Gerrard said the rate of COVID-19 infections meant Queensland’s COVID-19 traffic light system would remain on amber, which meant people were advised to wear a mask in healthcare settings, indoors if they could not socially distance, and on public transport.