Qld records three deaths, 17,445 new cases

Laine Clark | January 16, 2022

Three people have died from COVID-19 in Queensland, with the state recording another 17,455 new cases.

Queensland’s COVID-19 death toll has now reached 29 after a person in their 60s, another in their 80s and a 103-year-old became the latest fatalities.

Two had a single dose and the other was double jabbed but all had underlying medical conditions, chief health officer Dr John Gerrard said.

The new cases recorded included results from 4,615 rapid antigen tests (RAT), with a total of 42,420 tests in a 24 hour period.

Overall there are 203,657 active cases in Queensland.

Dr Gerrard said the number of people in Queensland hospitals was “creeping up”.

There are 670 people in hospital across the state – up from 649 on Saturday – with 49 in intensive care, an increase of three in the past 24 hours.

Sixteen people are on ventilators.

“The greatest pressure (in hospitals) remains on the Gold Coast and Brisbane south of the river but cases are in hospitals right across the state,” Dr Gerrard said.

The latest figures come after the government dropped all domestic border controls from 1am on Saturday.

Police road border checkpoints were all dismantled by Sunday morning with interstate travellers no longer having to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test.

The government initially planned to ease those restrictions when 90 per cent of eligible Queenslanders had received two doses.

Queensland’s latest figures show 91.55 per cent have had one jab and 88.65 per cent have received two.

Dr Gerrard advised the government to make the move earlier with the Omicron variant already widespread in the community and the state set to hit the 90 per cent target in the coming days.

International travel restrictions will remain until Queensland hits 90 per cent vaccination rate.

Dr Gerrard has urged Queenslanders with mild COVID-19 symptoms not to dial triple zero in order to ease pressure on the ambulance service.

He said there were instances where people were calling the ambulance service to ask where to buy rapid tests.

Dr Gerrard said emergency calls should only be made if people had difficulty breathing, significant chest pain or were coughing up blood.