Expert warns on Covid variants

FIFTEEN people have died from Covid-19 across Queensland while more than 300 are receiving treatment in hospital for the virus, the latest health statistics have shown.

Queensland Health figures showed there were 11,217 new cases recorded in the seven days from November 24 to November 30.

There were 15 deaths also reported throughout the week from the fourth Covid wave.

As at midnight, November 30, 320 people were receiving hospital care for Covid-19 in public and private systems with eight of those in intensive care.

In a statement, Queensland Health stressed that vaccination remained the No.1 protection against the virus.

According to the federal Health Department, 91.6 per cent of people aged 16 have received two doses of the vaccine.

It comes after Queensland recorded 10,082 Covid cases across seven days last week, with 312 in hospital and eight in intensive care.

The state’s leading infectious diseases expert, Paul Griffin, said it seemed like Queensland was at or just past the current Covid wave peak but there was little certainly with existing data, and estimating the rates of reinfection was impossible.

“I think we have to have a realistic expectation that any figures of infection we have are a dramatic under representation and we shouldn’t overcall the significance of them as a result,” Dr Griffin said.

“Certainly I’m seeing people that have been infected multiple times.

“That’s one of the challenges with the new subvariants, is that they are immune evasive, meaning they can evade our protection to a degree from vaccines and past infection.”