Brisbane COVID-19 clusters explained

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30 March 2021

Queensland has recorded 10 new cases of COVID-19 today, including six locally acquired cases.

All six locally acquired cases are linked to a Brisbane nurse.

Two cases are overseas-acquired and in hotel quarantine.

The other two cases are under investigation.

The current Brisbane lockdown can be attributed to two different clusters.

Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young explained the ‘Northside Cluster’ can be linked back to the Princess Alexandra doctor who tested positive on 12 March 2021, with subsequent infections detected in a 26-year-old man from Stafford, another man in his 20s from Strathpine, and three of their close contacts.

“I am very grateful for that first young man who came forward and got tested,” Dr Young said.

“One of the close contacts from the Northside Cluster also travelled to Gladstone, with a number of venues in Gladstone identified through the contact tracing process.

The second cluster is linked to a Princess Alexandra Hospital nurse who was working on a COVID-19 ward.

“Genome sequencing has come back from this case and we can confirm that it is linked to an overseas traveller from India who was being cared for at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and was tested on 22 March 2021.”

“It is likely the nurse acquired the infection while at work on an overnight shift on 23-24 March 2021, but more work needs to be done to confirm this and exactly how it occurred,” Dr Young said.

The sister of the nurse has since been infected and the pair travelled to Byron Bay while unknowingly infectious.

The number of cases confirmed to be part of this cluster now stands at nine including the presumed source case.

Dr Young said the growing clusters highlighted the importance of the lockdown and how critical it remains to come forward and get tested, even if you have the mildest of symptoms.

“At the moment we don’t have unknown community transmission and all our cases are confirmed close contacts of either cluster,” Dr Young said.

“But now it is critical, that anyone, anywhere in Queensland with symptoms comes forward for testing and that we maintain our vigilance with mask wearing, social distancing and hand hygiene.”

The Greater Brisbane lockdown is due to be reviewed tomorrow night.