Warwick, Southern Downs urged to brace for third Covid wave

WARWICK is being warned to brace for the ‘third wave’ of Covid already sweeping across much of Queensland, with close to 200 cases of the virus recorded in the past month alone.

Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard urged Queenslanders to “prepare now” for another explosion of the virus, saying the current spike would only get worse in coming weeks and that health experts were expecting near 1000 hospitalisations.

More than 5700 new cases of Covid were recorded across Queensland within 24 hours last week, bringing the state’s active case total to 40,191, with 697 people in hospital and another 17 in intensive care.

Thirteen Covid-related deaths were recorded overnight on Wednesday.

The past month’s surge in case numbers has varied widely across the state, with Queensland Health data revealing Maryborough topped the list with 352 PCR-confirmed cases between June 1 and July 5, followed by 246 and 237 in Caboolture and the far north’s Kirwan respectively.

While most of the state’s southeast recorded between 30 and 160 cases within that period, Warwick has streaked ahead with 177 confirmed cases and another 43 across nearby towns.

Stanthorpe and its surrounds recorded another 40 cases, bringing the region’s total to 260.

The rising case numbers come just months after the omicron variant ran rampant across Queensland at the beginning of this year, with the virus explosion delaying the start of the school year and claiming dozens of events across the Southern Downs alone.

All Australians aged over 50 are now being encouraged to get a fourth dose of a Covid vaccine as an “even more infectious” strain of omicron puts increasing pressure on the nation’s hospital systems, with about 4000 hospital beds now occupied by Covid patients nationwide.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said that 7.6 per cent of Queensland Health staff were currently off work due to illness.

Those aged 30 and above were this week also given access to a fourth Covid jab.

The escalating Covid outbreak comes amid one of the state’s worst flu seasons on record, with the State Government extending its free flu vaccination scheme until July 17.