28 March 2021

Dear colleagues,

Our focus today has been on contact tracing and testing.

Since Friday, we’ve provided over 4 000 tests across our Fever Clinics. Each swab is a testament to the spirit of cooperation that’s alive in our community right now, as we work together to keep each other safe and healthy.

Our Fever Clinics have done more great work today, with continuing strong demand for testing – particularly at our drive-thru clinics. By and large, things have gone very smoothly.  We’ve been in constant contact with all of our Fever Clinic teams, providing additional resources where needed. Where there were long lines, our teams continued to provide information to patients about all of their testing options, including alternative testing locations where lines may not have been as lengthy.

Still, for some clinics, lines for testing have been long. Our Fever Clinic staff deserve our thanks for the empathy and compassion they’ve been showing when dealing with patients who are often a varying combination of unwell, tired, hot, and anxious.

New case announced this morning

This morning, the CHO announced a third case connected to the current northern suburbs COVID-19 cluster. This third case is a close contact of the case identified on Thursday night. Investigations continue, but this third case may likely have preceded the other two cases in the cluster.

Contact tracing continues around all three cases, and again I encourage everyone to check-in regularly with the list of sites and locations on the contact tracing alerts website.

Contact tracing

Our Public Health Unit is pivotal to the largest contact tracing effort we have seen in Queensland for some time. With the support of the Queensland Health centralised contact tracing team together with other Public Health Units across Queensland, contacts at each venue have been identified, risk-rated and either have been, or will be, contacted in the short-term to formalise quarantine and follow up arrangements. This is likely to result in a wide range of disruption to businesses, workplaces, and personal or family plans. If you know someone who is quarantined, please take the time to check in on them (virtually of course) during their quarantine period.

I expect that we will get further cases in the coming days. I sleep well at night knowing we are well prepared to support the safe isolation and care of these cases when they declare themselves. It is what we do!

The week ahead 

In the week ahead, based on what we know currently, we can expect that high demand for testing will continue.  Likewise, PPE requirements and visitor restrictions continue to be in place.

As of tonight, I have formally handed over to Mark Butterworth as Metro North Health Incident Controller.  I would like to thank Mark in advance for taking the reins.

Regards,

Dr Liz Rushbrook
Metro North Incident Controller

Metro North HHS – overview of cases*

*With effect 28 March 2021, 1200
**Metro North has three recorded deaths (one person a return traveller into NSW, who passed away in NSW)
*** These numbers reflect the cases being managed by Metro North.