30 July 2021
The North West Hospital and Health Service has tested almost three times the number of people who attend the annual Dirt and Dust Festival at Julia Creek since the pandemic started.
Raw numbers reveal the scale of the North West 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, 0 have been recorded in the North West region.
“Around 80 per cent of Queensland’s cases have been acquired overseas, with a large portion detected in quarantine,” 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 Queenslanders, with Dr Young saying the responsible actions of Queenslanders undoubtedly prevented more tragedies.
North West HHS Acting Chief Executive Dr Karen Murphy highlighted that there are some very vulnerable communities within the North West region.
“An outbreak here in the North West, especially at some of our more remote communities, would cause absolute devastation, so we are doing everything we can to protect the community,” Dr Murphy said.
Dr Young said Queensland’s vaccine roll-out had progressed well given the nation’s issues sourcing supplies.
As of 29 July 2021, North West HHS has administered 9,250 COVID-19 vaccinations, including 6,057 Pfizer doses and 3,193 AstraZeneca doses.
Dr Murphy said the NWHHS’s facilities are amongst a handful of vaccination sites throughout Queensland that have been permitted to open bookings for all people requiring the vaccine.
“People are desperate for their vaccinations elsewhere, so we feel incredibly lucky to be able to offer the vaccines to all our residents,” Dr Murphy said.
“We are still in the midst of a pandemic and can’t afford to let our guard down, so we are continuing to encourage our community to have the jab.”
As of 29 July 2021, 13,862 tests on 9,432 people have been completed in the North West HHS region and there have been no quarantine notices issued.