COVID-19 update 316 | 09/01/2022
Louise O’Riordan Metro North Health Incident Controller
Dear Colleagues,
Happy Sunday! Today we have close to 90,000 active cases of COVID-19 in Queensland. I hope you’re enjoying some socially distant fun with your loved ones this weekend.
The Queensland government has today announced the school year will be delayed two weeks, starting 7 February 2022, allowing more time for children to get vaccinated. We have our Kippa Ring clinic opening tomorrow for 5 to 11-year-olds. Year 11 and 12 students will commence remote learning from Monday, January 31, and schools will still be open for vulnerable children and those of essential workers.
A return to work reminder
A reminder that staff who are asymptomatic positive cases OR close contacts who return a negative RAT result on day 6, should both return to work on day 8. You will be required to follow additional PPE and testing rules as outlined previously.
New guidelines for critical workers outline that close contacts who remove themselves from a COVID-positive household contact, and return a negative test on Day 2, can return to work provided they also return a negative RAT before every shift. The risk management plan for each staff member includes the following:
- Separate from the diagnosed case and COVID-19 RAT test negative on day 2 after separation, prior to commencing work
- Must be asymptomatic – this is checked by the Work Unit or Hospital Manager prior to the staff member commencing work each day
- Daily Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) prior to the commencement of each work shift from day of return to work until 7 days since the date the diagnosed case.
- For 14 days post exposure:
- Wear a P2/N95 respirator in clinical areas in accordance with the PPE escalation level; and
- wear surgical mask in non-clinical areas (e.g. staff only spaces) and travel to and from work.
- Do not enter shared spaces such as tearooms and do not participate in any staff gatherings in the workplace where masks are likely to be removed
- Careful monitoring for symptoms.
This new process should help free up some of our critical workforce who are isolating. More information will follow tomorrow on this.
If you need support with a place to stay, we can try assist. Please contact us via the hotline to discuss your situation. It’s running 8am – 5pm, 7 days a week on 07 3646 5500.
Don’t forget to tell your line manager if become unwell or need to isolate as a close contact, as soon as possible, so we can manage our workforce at this busy time.
In clarification to the above message which was sent earlier today, I’d like to reiterate that return to work is only possible for close contacts who return a negative test on Day 2 IF they move into a separate residence or household from the positive case – this does not apply to people who are separated in the same residence.
Further information on this will be available tomorrow and our HR hotline is here to help in the interim if you have questions.
Self-reporting RAT results
Queensland Health has now created a new website for self-reporting positive COVID-19 cases identified via RATs. All the information on when to get a PCR test vs when to get a RAT is available here.
This new process will see more accurate case number reporting and should ease demand on PCR testing required. Self-reporting of RAT results can be done here.
A reminder that RATs for staff are available at our staff swab collection sites and also at Brighton Wellness Hub from tomorrow.
Thank you everyone, take care.
Kind regards,
Louise O’Riordan
Metro North Health Incident Controller
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Current Metro North Health tier activated – Tier 3
Helpful links
- Upload evidence of your vaccine
- Qld Health contact tracing list
- Register for your vaccine
- Qld Health general COVID-19 page
- Metro North COVID-19 extranet
- COVID vidcast recordings on QHEPS
Metro North HHS – overview of cases*
| Patients managed by HHS | Fever clinics | ||||||
| Total in-patients | Virtual ward/ HITH/ similar | Deaths** | No. of clinics | Presentations | |||
| Total | ICU patients | Total^ | |||||
| ICU not ventilated | ICU ventilated | ||||||
| 75 | 1 | 0 | 517 | 0 | 6 | 1860 | |
Norfolk Island – overview of cases****
| Patients managed by HHS | Close Contacts in quarantine | ||||||
| Total in-patients | Virtual ward/ HITH/ similar | Total cases including recovered | Deaths | ||||
| Total | ICU patients | ||||||
| ICU not ventilated | ICU ventilated | ||||||
| 35 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 40 | 0 | 120 | |
*As at the above date
**Metro North Health has four recorded deaths (one person a return traveller into NSW, who passed away in NSW)
*** These numbers reflect the cases being managed by Metro North Health.
**** As part of an Intergovernmental Agreement, from 1 January 2022 Metro North Health is providing a number of health support services to Norfolk Island. This includes advice and support to staff on island in terms of managing COVID patients. The numbers in this section of the table refer to COVID patients who remain on Norfolk Island and are receiving direct care by staff on Norfolk Island.