30 July 2021
The Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service has tested the equivalent of Coolangatta’s population every week and quarantined enough people to fill Metricon Stadium 1.3 times over since the pandemic started.
Raw numbers reveal the scale of Gold Coast HHS’s COVID-19 response.
Since the Australia’s first case was confirmed on 25 January 2020, Queensland has recorded 1,793 cases. Of these, 281 have been recorded in the Gold Coast region, including 275 recovered and 13 active cases*.
“Around 80 per cent of Queensland’s cases have been acquired overseas, with a large portion detected in quarantine, and this is reflective in the Cairns and Hinterland HHS region,” Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said.
“And the majority of our locally-acquired cases were safely isolating while they were infectious, instead of risking the health of others in the community, which is a fantastic result.”
Sadly, the virus has claimed the lives of seven people in Queensland, including one on the Gold Coast. Dr Young said the responsible actions of Queenslanders undoubtedly prevented more tragedies.
Chief Executive of Gold Coast Health Ron Calvert said the isolation facilities at Gold Coast University Hospital had served the community well.
“This hospital was designed with negative-pressure isolation rooms on dedicated wards and the emergency department,” Mr Calvert said.
“We have been well-equipped to treat not only Gold Coasters but patients from other parts of Queensland and Papua New Guinea.”
Dr Young said Queensland’s vaccine roll-out had progressed well given the nation’s issues sourcing supplies.
As of 29 July 2021, Gold Coast HHS has administered 98,659 COVID-19 vaccinations, including 94,296 Pfizer doses and 4,363 AstraZeneca doses.
“I applaud the enthusiasm and willingness of Gold Coasters to get vaccinated,” Mr Calvert said.
“We delivered Queensland’s first vaccination here and our new vaccination hub at Broadbeach is working to a full appointment schedule to keep the Gold Coast community safe.”
As of 29 July 2021, Gold Coast HHS has:
- Completed 428,749 tests on 233,165 people (including public and private facilities)
- Had 34,022 people receive a quarantine notice
- 135 females and 146 males tests positive to COVID-19
- Age breakdown of COVID-19 cases:
- 13 aged 0-9
- 14 aged 10-19
- 51 aged 20-29
- 51 aged 30-39
- 39 aged 40-49
- 48 aged 50-59
- 40 aged 60-69
- 18 aged 70-79
- 7 aged 80-89
*Data caveat on active cases: active cases may be reported by Hospital and Health Service of treatment, or by a patient’s usual place of residence. Therefore, some active cases may be reported as active in a particular HHS but may not be reported in that HHS’s case total.