A SINKING FEELING

AM I the only one not celebrating the return of cruise ships into Cairns? (CP, 16/03) I know this statement will not sit well with those who depend on the tourist trade for a living but the statistics following are of concern.

Cairns has the highest total cases of Covid-19 outside of Brisbane and its surrounds (Queensland Health data).

Is no one concerned that there were 1785 cases of Covid-19 reported by the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital Service this week with 12 poor souls in hospital, three of whom are in ICU?

What concerns me, and in my opinion requires investigation, is why the Townsville Hospital and Health Service, servicing an approximate population of 258,000 at as 2018, has reported only 19,101 cases to date with 10 deaths (Qld Health).

Whereas Cairns and Hinterland Health Service, servicing a population of approximately 252,830 has had 29,546 cases and 41 deaths (Qld Health).

Therefore Cairns has had 10,152 more cases with approximately four times the death rate; surely this requires investigation or explanation.

What makes the Cairns population more prone to infection, and why are people dying at four times the rate of the comparable health district of Townsville?

The speed with which the politicians and media have moved away from reporting on Covid-19 is something to behold.

The naysayers will tell me it is time to move on but until you have the facts it is rather difficult to manage the risks.

Perhaps Cairns Post’s journalists could put some relative questions to Minister D’Aath when she visits FNQ. Terena Hopkins, Goldsborough Valley