Message from the Metro North Health Incident Controller – COVID-19 update 371 | 11/03/2022
Louise O’Riordan Metro North Health Incident Controller
Dear colleagues,
- New COVID variant
- PPE requirement
- Returning from overseas
- Recording your vaccination
Today there are 4327 reported cases of COVID-19 in Queensland.
New COVID variant
You might have seen that a new variant of Omicron (BA.2) has been detected in several countries including Australia. The variant is being identified in cases in New South Wales.
The World Health Organization has said the new variant appears to be more transmissible that the previous Omicron variant, but does not appear to be more severe.
It’s a timely reminder that even though many community restrictions have lifted, we still need to keep up our hand hygiene and social distancing, stay home when we’re sick, and take reasonable precautions to reduce our likelihood of infection.
PPE requirement
Just a reminder that masks are still mandatory for:
- Healthcare settings
- Residential aged care facilities
- Disability accommodation
- Correctional facilities
- While waiting for and on public transport
- In taxis and rideshares,
- At airports and on all domestic and international flights.
Wear a mask as required and if you cannot physically distance.
You are required to wear the PPE appropriate for your type of work as outlined in the high-risk category of the PPE matrix.
Returning from overseas
If you are a fully vaccinated international arrival entering Queensland, you must get a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of your arrival in Queensland and quarantine at your residence, accommodation or boat (leaving only if necessary to obtain a COVID-19 test at an approved Queensland Government COVID-19 testing centre) until you receive a negative result.
The COVID-19 test must be a PCR test if you are a fully vaccinated international arrival and you:
- have recovered from COVID-19 within the past 30 days, or
- have COVID-19 symptoms on arrival, or
- the country you departed from is exempt from Commonwealth pre-departure testing requirements for entry to Australia.
If you are an international arrival who got tested for COVID-19 in another State or Territory within 24 hours of arrival in Australia and received a negative test result, you do not have to get tested within 24 hours of arrival in Queensland nor quarantine.
Metro North staff returning to work within 14 days of entering Australia must get an approval from your local Incident Controller (via your local EOC) and return a negative RAT test every second day for 7 days.
Recording your vaccination
COVID booster vaccinations are available for anyone aged 16 and over. Boosters are not mandatory but they are strongly encouraged.
Once you’ve had your booster, you can record it the same way you recorded your primary course of vaccine:
- Download your COVID digital certificate from your myGov account
- Go to the COVID-19 Vaccination Hub
- Choose the +Booster Vaccination option
- Add your booster details
- Upload or drag and drop your certificate
- Save
Kind regards,
Louise O’Riordan
Metro North Health Incident Controller
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Current Metro North Health tier activated – Tier 2
Helpful links
- Register your positive RAT result
- Upload evidence of your vaccine or booster
- Vaccination locations
- 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 | Yesterday | |||||
| ICU not ventilated | ICU ventilated | ||||||
| 33 | 1 | 1 | 243 | 44 | 3 | 101 | |
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 | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 126 | 0 | 2 | |
*As at the above date
**Metro North Health has recorded deaths (one person a return traveller into NSW, who passed away in NSW)
*** 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.