Dear Colleagues,

I am sure many of you have seen the news today that the Queensland borders will be closed to the entirety of NSW and the ACT from 1am Saturday 8 August. This means that, from Saturday, all visitors from NSW and the ACT will be not be allowed entry except for rare exemptions and returning Queenslanders will have to complete mandatory hotel quarantine for 14 days at their own cost.

Further information will be provided in coming days on the Queensland Government website about the border closures, as well as specific border community pass arrangements and other exemptions.

I am sure many of you have family or friends in the southern states or had plans to travel. While this may be disappointing, it has become clear we cannot afford to risk the health of our community. As we have seen in Victoria and now in NSW, one case of COVID-19 can change things very quickly.

 Latest update

Queensland has recorded one new case of COVID-19 overnight in a resident of Ipswich. Authorities are currently investigating the source of this case and we are actively monitoring the situation.

We have seen a small increase in the number of people presenting for testing, with 1,447 people receiving tests in Metro North over the last 24 hours. Over the past week, we have tested more than 10,000 people in the Metro North catchment. What an incredibly busy week for our fever clinics!

 Priority COVID-19 testing

As mentioned yesterday, while the surge in testing is certainly a positive thing, it has prompted us to consider how to manage our testing resources moving forward. In accordance with the latest advice, Public Health Alert 17, we will be prioritising testing for symptomatic presentations, particularly those who also meet epidemiological criteria.

Anyone that is tested is required to isolate, at least until their test result is reported negative. Additional isolation requirements remain in place when appropriate (i.e. in quarantine, or remains symptomatic).There is no longer the requirement to test people who present for testing without symptoms.

Documentation supporting these changes has been approved by the Metro North EOC and will be sent through to facility EOCs.

Fever clinics 

To help with the increased demand we are seeing in our fever clinics, please remember and spread the word that they are not the only place to be tested for COVID-19. Within Metro North, there are also GP respiratory clinics, as well as private pathology labs & drive-through clinics across Brisbane who can perform testing. Fever clinic information can be found here. Additionally, below are alternate testing clinics in both North and South Brisbane.

The Chief Health Officer mentioned yesterday how important it is we remain alert and vigilant over the coming week. We have responded swiftly to the recent outbreak but staying safe relies on all of us sticking by the Metro North Mantra. Print it out as a reminder. These are the golden rules to live by in 2020!

Take care everyone.

Kind regards,
Dr Elizabeth Rushbrook
Metro North Incident Commander

Metro North HHS – Overview of Cases*

*With effect 5 August 2020, 1000

**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.