Tag Archives: oceania

Race to find new Queensland cases

Queensland Health authorities are hoping a three-day lockdown will be enough time to find any new coronavirus cases after an unvaccinated COVID hospital ward receptionist was found to be infectious with the dangerous Delta strain in the community.

The wide-ranging lockdown includes South East Queensland, Townsville city, Palm Island and Magnetic Island, given the 19-year-old hospital worker flew around the state during 10 days while she was infectious.

The lockdown is due to end at 6pm on Friday.

EXPLAINER: Everything you need to know about the Queensland lockdown

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was "absolutely furious" about the situation with the unvaccinated hospital worker, and had no choice but to impose the lockdown because of the fast-moving situation.

"The risk is real and we need to act quickly," the premier said.

"We need to go hard and we need to go fast."

https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1409765997951602688

Queensland reported two new locally acquired coronavirus cases on Tuesday, including the hospital worker, along with two other cases in hotel quarantine.

The other positive locally acquired case is a miner from Ipswich, one of the 170 FIFO workers from the NT gold mine, where a positive case was detected after hundreds of workers had dispersed across Australia.

Hospital clerical worker tests positive

The woman who tested positive overnight is a 19-year-old casual clerical worker from Prince Charles Hospital in Chermside, in Brisbane's north.

Working as a receptionist outside the hospital's COVID ward, health authorities have confirmed she tested positive for the Delta strain variant of the disease.

The young woman visited multiple sites while infectious and developed symptoms last Monday.

This means the woman would have been infectious and in the community for 10 days since last Saturday, including taking flights in and out of Brisbane and Townsville airports, and visiting Magnetic Island. All 2500 people on Magnetic Island have been urged to get tests.

The young woman was not vaccinated despite the health directives, the premier said.

Two of her family members are now showing signs of sickness and have been tested for the virus.

"Let me say, I am absolutely furious about this," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"We need to make sure that we are getting our population vaccinated, right across the state."

Ms Palaszczuk confirmed a full investigation would be launched into the reason why she was not vaccinated.

The premier confirmed hospital staff who worked inside the ward had to be vaccinated, but it was unclear if the guidelines included the woman and her role.

"For some reason she wasn't vaccinated, there will be a full investigation into that."

The woman travelled with her family between her home in Sandgate to Magnetic Island in Townsville at the end of last week.

While on the road, she attended the Sunday markets in Townsville.

The woman who tested positive overnight is a 19-year-old casual clerical worker from Prince Charles Hospital in Chermside, in Brisbane's north.

Fears over FIFO workers and five Virgin flights

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the other 170 FIFO workers from the NT gold mine remained a Delta variant risk.

The Tanami mine workers are now in isolation across Queensland and being tested for the virus, Dr Young said.

"That is a continuing risk for Queensland," she said.

The Virgin flight crew member who had worked on two flights which landed in Queensland also had the Delta variant, Dr Young said.

But Dr Young said she was "worried about all five of those flights", because Queenslanders could have been on the non-Queensland flights.

"We've just got so many different groups that have slightly different risk profiles and we're trying to manage and balance all of those, and that's what's so difficult."

Sandgate Woolworths was one of the several exposure sites revealed today that the woman travelled to.

Sites visited by infected hospital worker

  • Sandgate Woolworths – June 20
  • Bay Health Gym – June 20
  • Prince Charles Hospital – June 22, 23
  • Flight VA369 from Brisbane to Townsville on June 24
  • Brisbane Airport – June 24
  • Townsville airport – June 24
  • Magnetic Island from June 24 to June 27
  • Flight VA374 from Townsville to Brisbane – June 27
  • Brisbane Airport – June 27
  • Townsville Airport – June 27

Queensland Health believes there are 2500 people on Magnetic Island.

All have been urged to get tested.

Long lines were commonplace across Queensland with many wanting to ensure the lockdown ends.

Only four reasons to leave home

For Queenslanders in the areas that are locked down, there are only four reasons you will be able to leave home.

1. Essential education and work that cannot be done at home or to obtain health care services, including getting your vaccination

2. Care or support of a vulnerable family member

3. Essential shopping in your local community

4. Exercising with no more than one person, not from your household in your local community

Two charged over alleged learner road rage attack

A brave learner driver who says he was viciously attacked in an Adelaide road rage attack has told 9News he is now too scared to get behind the wheel again.

Jacob Trench was driving with his mother and a friend along the North-South Motorway when they were allegedly set upon by two men.

The 19-year-old says he was lashed on the back with a metal rod and he also received a cut to his head from a sharp object, needing stitches for the injury.

https://twitter.com/TomAngley9/status/1409772715158900736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

READ MORE: Good samaritan steps in during Adelaide alleged road rage attack

"Yes I'm scared, yes I'm nervous, my legs are shaking," Mr Trench told 9News.

Mr Trench's mother, Amanda, was also allegedly attacked, saying she was punched through the passenger window before her son and his friend were set upon.

"I had black eyes, I looked like an alien. I had an 'egg' on the side of my face, I was dizzy for days afterwards," Ms Trench said.

"I felt helpless, absolutely helpless."

Mr Trench said the pair tailgated his car for over 10 minutes last month, forcing him to pull over near the Bolivar exit, hoping they would speed off. But instead the van allegedly pulled up behind them.

North-South Motorway road rage attackNorth-South Motorway road rage attack

READ MORE: Two men sentenced over horrific road rage attack on young tradie

"I didn't spark them in any way, I was just learning to drive, sticking to the road rules," Mr Trench said.

Today, 23-year-old Amman Almasmmoum and 49-year-old Radwan Masmoum appeared in court after they were arrested at a Mitchell Park home after allegedly fleeing the scene of the attack.

They were granted conditional bail and are next expected to appear in court in August.

Three charged after alleged home invasion machete attack

Three men have been charged after allegedly attacking a duo with a machete in a violent home invasion in Adelaide's north and throwing tiles from a roof in a bid to escape arrest.

Police were called to the home on Massey Street, Salisbury North just before midnight on Monday after reports three men had forced the front door open and assaulted a man and woman inside.

Detectives say one of the men was armed with a machete and struck the a 33-year-old male occupant on the leg while the others held the 36-year-old woman down.

Salisbury North machete attackhttps://twitter.com/9keziahsullivan/status/1409652192248623111?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

READ MORE: Man's hand almost severed in machete attack outside Perth hotel

The trio allegedly fled the scene with the victims' Holden sedan and the woman's handbag.

Polair was able to follow the allegedly stolen car as it travelled through several suburbs before stopping on Lillee Avenue, Brahma Lodge where two of the car's occupants were arrested.

Police say a third man ran from the scene and climbed onto a nearby roof where he allegedly started flinging roof tiles at officers on the ground, refusing to come down.

Footage from the intense standoff shows a hooded man on the roof, throwing tiles and yelling at police to "f— off".

Salisbury North machete attack

READ MORE: Shirtless customer picks up machete to chase alleged robber in Adelaide IGA

The man was eventually coaxed down and placed in cuffs along with his alleged counterparts.

The man and woman from Massey Street were taken to hospital for treatment to machete wounds and the alleged offenders were charged with a raft of offences including aggravated assault, and serious criminal trespass.

Tens of thousands of Aussies still stranded overseas

More than 34,000 Aussies around the world remain locked out of Australia and can't fly home, according to the latest government figures.

Of those, 10,400 Australians are stuck in COVID-ravaged India, which is still recording 50,000 cases of coronavirus every day.

In April, when India was gripped by its second wave, 9000 Australians in India had registered with DFAT as wanting to come home.

Passengers on a Qantas flight from India are transported to the Howard Springs quarantine facility in Darwin, Australia.

Since the start of the pandemic, when Australia slammed its borders to the world shut, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has helped 48,700 Australians return, a spokesperson told 9news.com.au, including more than 21,000 people on 142 government facilitated flights.

"The number of Australians registered changes frequently according to people's circumstances," a DFAT spokesperson said.

READ MORE: Not a race? The COVID vaccination graphs that rank Australia dead last

Stephen Duckett, the Grattan Institute's health program director and a former secretary of the federal Health Department, said Australia's snail-paced vaccination rollout had effectively left Aussies stranded around the world.

"The reason it was always a race (to vaccinate) was that we wanted to open the borders, and we can't open the borders until we've got a high proportion of the population vaccinated," he said.

Current figures rank Australia dead last in the OECD for fully vaccinated adults by percentage of population.

Led by New South Wales and Queensland, states have repeatedly called on the Commonwealth to open federal quarantine facilities to ease the burden and risk on hotel quarantine.

In March, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the Howard Springs quarantine facility in the Northern Territory would increase capacity to 2000 returned Australians a fortnight, up from 850.

When asked by 9news.com.au what progress had been made on that front, NT Health did not disclose specifics, except to say "considerable improvements" had been made to support the Howard Springs expansion.

"Recruitment and workforce modelling has been undertaken to support the gradual increase in repatriation passengers," the spokesperson added.

Howard Springs in the Northern Territory is shouldering the burden of many repatriation flights.

READ MORE: How the world is reacting to Australian COVID-19 'complacency'

Earlier this month, reports suggested Howard Springs had not yet recruited enough workers to operate at a 2000-person capacity.

Data requested by 9news.com.au showed Howard Springs had taken in 18 government repatriation flights since June.

Most flights carried between 100-200 passengers.

Seven of the government repatriation flights were from India, and five from London.

A federal Department of Health spokesperson said 50 repatriation flights have arrived at Howard Springs between October and June, allowing 8365 people to quarantine.

Howard Springs also caters for domestic quarantine.

Last night, Mr Morrison declared international arrivals in hotel quarantine would be separated from domestic quarantine residents.

It is not known how this may impact Howard Springs.