Queensland has recorded 5699 new infections of COVID-19 overnight as the state's health minister warns most residents will likely contract the virus in the coming weeks.
There are now currently 170 people in hospital - a steady increase on yesterday's numbers. Of those, 11 are being treated in the intensive care unit.
Health Minister Yvette D'Ath has warned residents to act cautiously as the virus spreads, with infections still expected to continue rising.
LIVE UPDATES:COVID-19 numbers explode across multiple states
"Many people that you know are likely to have COVID," she said.
"You are likely to get COVID yourself at some point in the near future."
Testing bungle creates confusion
Hundreds of Queenslanders may have to line up once more for a PCR COVID-19 test, after several tests were mislabelled by a private pathology clinic and rendered invalid.
Some residents have been caught waiting a week for test results that will never arrive, and have been told by Queensland Health to get another test if they are showing symptoms of COVID-19.
The company behind the bungle, Covax, has not been taking calls, and the number of forfeited tests remains unclear.
One Brisbane resident at the Kelvin Grove testing clinic, run by Covax, says they have waited three hours this morning for a test.
Others say they have waited over a week for results, returning for a second test after calls to Queensland Health's testing hotline went unanswered.
The Kelvin Grove clinic in Brisbane has been removed from Queensland Health's list of testing locations, but was operating today.
Queenslanders wait hours for tests at closed clinics
Ms D'Ath confirmed that some advice on the government's website is incorrect, after a number of testing sites did not re-open today.
She said several private pathology sites were believed to have been opening today after a Christmas break, but had not.
The confusion has left many frustrated, after queuing for hours at these clinics.
Some will be re-opening on January 9, while confirmation is being sought on others.
Ms D'Ath said it was placing additional pressure on testing resources, and urged people to only line up for legitimate reasons.
From tomorrow, half a million rapid antigen tests will begin to roll out across public testing sites.
Hundreds of thousands of cases before state hits peak
Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard has reiterated his message for residents to brace themselves for extremely high numbers of cases.
He said there were likely more cases of undetected COVID-19 in the community, however the main number to be concerned with are those being treated in hospital.
Queensland Pathology had reported 23 per cent of the last day's tests had come back positive, he said.
"The numbers of cases we are expecting to see through January will be very high," he said.
"Hundreds of thousands of cases, if not more, in Queensland."
He said that if Queenslanders have COVID-19 symptoms and cannot get "easily tested", they they should stay home.
"Assume you are COVID-positive," Dr Gerrard said.
He said if people were suffering breathlessness, chest pains, fainting or severe light-headedness, they should seek medical attention.
If the COVID-19 symptoms do not improve after the third day, people are urged to seek medical advice.
Some figures indicate one person infected with the Omicron variant can infect between seven and 10 others.
This has, as the CHO said, "changed the game", given that previously politicians and health authorities had spoken about the importance of keeping the transmission rate to less than one person per infected people.
Residents urged to stay home
Meanwhile, residents have been urged to stay home as cases surge but people are still flocking to PCR testing queues, renewing the pressure on the health system.
A number of tests at a clinic run by a private operator were mislabelled, leading to some people needing to re-test and other results being delayed.
"PCR testing demand escalated quickly in Queensland in December 2021, and continues to place pressure on hospital and health services and private pathology providers, particularly over Christmas where some providers had planned reduced staffing levels," a Queensland Health spokesperson said in a statement.
"Removing the day five PCR testing requirement for those entering Queensland, changes to the definitions of close and casual contacts, and expanded use of rapid antigen testing will all assist to ease the testing burden over coming days and weeks."
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said yesterday that Queensland had secured 18 million rapid antigen tests, with small batches to arrive in coming weeks before a larger supply at the end of January.
Queensland recorded 4249 new COVID-19 cases yesterday.
A man in his 30s, who died suddenly at his Gold Coast home, was recorded as a COVID-19 death, though it is being investigated by the coroner.
The man had tested positive with a rapid antigen test, but was awaiting his PCR results when he died.
Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard said the case was "very, very unusual".
How Australia faced the emergence of the Omicron variant
Ms Palaszczuk urged people to limit their movements and reconsider attending large gatherings, with soaring case numbers set to increase pressure on the health system in coming weeks.
But it's hoped that the peak of the current Omicron wave could be reached sooner rather than later.
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