{"id":339373,"date":"2023-10-26T12:16:56","date_gmt":"2023-10-26T02:16:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=339373"},"modified":"2023-10-26T20:00:55","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T10:00:55","slug":"covid-hospital-numbers-spike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2023\/10\/26\/covid-hospital-numbers-spike\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID Hospital Numbers Spike"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard (Photo: Qld Health)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

October 26, 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

Queensland Health has issued a warning to Queenslanders aged 65 and older to make sure they are up-to-date with their COVID-19 booster shots following a spike in hospital admissions.<\/p>\n

There are now 146 people in Queensland hospitals with the virus, twice the number a fortnight ago.<\/p>\n

Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard said the rise in cases was largely due to low booster rates in older Queenslanders and possibly the emergence of a new BA.2.86 variant, known as Pirola.<\/p>\n

He said Queenslanders who were older, or who have medical conditions that put them at higher risk, should get a booster vaccine shot if they have not had one in 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are seeing a clear increase in COVID-19 transmission in Queensland at the moment,\u201d Dr Gerrard said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe number of people hospitalised with the virus has doubled over the past two weeks and I expect hospital admissions will rise in the coming week.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNow is a good time to get a COVID-19 booster if you are aged 65 or over and haven\u2019t had one in 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is even more important for people over 75 years if it has been more than six months since your last dose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr Gerrard said it was essential Queenslanders did not become complacent about the risk of COVID-19.<\/p>\n

\u201cCOVID-19 has not established a predictable seasonal pattern as yet and it continues to mutate, which is why we all need to be vigilant,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cVaccination remains our best protection against COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to getting vaccinated, Queenslanders need to stay home when sick and regularly wash their hands to minimise the spread of COVID-19.\u201d<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports 19,510 people have died with or from Covid infections from the start of the pandemic through to July 31, 2023.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Covid was the underlying cause of death for 15,460 (79.2 per cent) of the fatalities.<\/p>\n

Chronic cardiac conditions were the most common pre-existing chronic condition for those who had Covid certified as the underlying cause of death, the ABS states.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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