Queenslanders have been told the peak in COVID-19 infections could come in weeks rather than months as the state battles its first serious outbreak.
Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said yesterday cases could come to a peak quite soon before declining - though he didn't rule out the possibility of further spikes later in the year.
He said it was due to the contagiousness of the Omicron variant, now the dominant strain in the state.
But currently the state's health system is struggling under the pressure, with record case numbers of 3587 being recorded yesterday.
With more hospitalisations expected, elective surgeries have been cancelled.
There are 720 healthcare workers currently in isolation, adding to the pressure.
Five people as of this morning are in intensive care with the virus, among them two pregnant women, one of whom is unvaccinated.
Dr Gerrard urged pregnant women or women planning to become pregnant to make sure they got the jab.
He said there was clear evidence the COVID-19 vaccine is safe for pregnant women.
How Australia faced the emergence of the Omicron variant
"This is a vastly different disease we are seeing, in severity, to what was seen last year and prior to vaccination," Dr Gerrard said yesterday.
"The issue we are facing is of course that with a degree of contagiousness of this virus, we are going to be seeing very large numbers of cases, even though the severity is clearly going to be less."
Tags:
News