Thousands of Sunshine Coast students have been directed to undergo urgent COVID testing due to concerns of a possible link to the Brisbane outbreak.
The unprecedented sweep of local schools for traces of the virus comes as health authorities reveal they are worried about the impact of the Delta variant on children – especially those with underlying medical conditions.
Sunshine Coast Grammar, Matthew Flinders Anglican College and Immanuel Lutheran College are among the Coast schools where staff and students will have to undergo testing at a clinic nearest their residences or at possible pop-up testing sites at schools.
Queensland recorded 16 news cases on Tuesday, again all linked to the initial Indooroopilly outbreak and involving students — one from Indooroopilly State High School, four from Brisbane Grammar, two from Brisbane Girls Grammar, three from Ironside State School, five household and family members and one neighbour.
There were still no cases recorded on the Sunshine Coast after 34,718 tests were conducted across the state.
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said Queensland had reached 47 cases and she believed the state was on the “verge” of a large outbreak.
However, Dr Young said she still did not know the link between the two returned travellers who arrived in Brisbane on June 29 and the first family to become infected in this outbreak at Indooroopilly.
For that reason she said the entire southeast corner had to remain in lockdown and continue testing.
Sunshine Coast schools were advised on Monday to undergo urgent testing by the Sunshine Coast Public Health Unit’s Centre for Disease Control amid the push to weed out any likely transmission chains.
“When parents are driving students for testing, please ensure all car occupants are wearing masks with the student in the back seat and windows down,” Public Health Physician, Dr Josette Chor, advised in the email.
Queensland Health told Sunshine Coast News that “precautionary surveillance testing” would involve several schools on the Sunshine Coast.
“This is not because of a current known case in any of those school communities. We would like to rule out any possible link to the cluster in the Brisbane schools by conducting these tests,” a spokesperson said.
“We will not be providing further details of the schools at this time, to ensure each school has ample opportunity to discuss the matter with teachers, students and parents impacted in the first instance.”
Dr Young has previously voiced her concern that children could be “super spreaders”. It is the first time in the pandemic that the virus has moved so freely through schools.
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In Federal Government developments, approval has now been given for children as young as 12 who have impaired immune systems or come from other vulnerable groups to get priority access to Pfizer vaccines.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said this meant about 220,000 children would be able to get a Pfizer vaccine.
A broader step to approve the vaccination of all children aged 12 to 15 for COVID-19 could be given within weeks.
Labor health spokesman Mark Butler said the Delta variant was posing new challenges in terms of children and young adults.
It comes following evidence that young adults are more likely to contract COVID-19 and transmit it.
“They are often more mobile and likely to engage in activities such as visiting multiple venues at night and more likely to work in casualised and frontline jobs,” Royal Australian College of General Practitioners president Dr Karen Price said.
“So even though their chances of suffering severe effects or dying from COVID-19 may be less than older people, it makes sense to get them vaccinated.”
Police to increase presence
Police will become more visible as RBT-style interventions are rolled out to check where people are going after officers issued the highest number of infringements of the pandemic.
Seventy infringement notices were dished out and 21 people arrested either for not wearing masks or involvement in a protest.
Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said he was worried that a small group of people flouting lockdown would spread the virus.
The deputy commissioner said it was alarming that most people who were fined or arrested had been asked to comply with public health orders or given a warning, but they had deliberately resisted.
He said the behaviour would not be tolerated and police would increase their presence.
The fine for not wearing a mask is $206.
