Queensland has recorded an unlinked locally acquired case of COVID-19 in a high school student in western Brisbane.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 17-year-old girl, who's an Indooroopilly State High School student, tested positive on Thursday night after suffering a headache.
Health Minister Yvette D'Ath says the case is yet to be linked with any existing outbreaks in the state.
"This is an unknown, unlinked case at this stage. Until we get more information, masks are more important than ever," she said on Friday.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young says the teenager's family is being tested, but they haven't travelled anywhere recently.
"I'm struggling to understand how she's acquired it, so we'll have to wait until we get whole genome sequencing results back later today," Dr Young told reporters.
The girl is in hospital as a precaution and the school has been closed for deep cleaning.
A community vaccination clinic in Ipswich was also closed for deep cleaning with appointments postponed, Queensland Health confirmed on Friday.
All staff working within the clinic during the time of exposure are currently being reviewed by West Moreton Health.
Contact tracers are also working out which students and teachers need to self-isolate or go into quarantine.
The new case comes after Dr Young penned an opinion piece on Friday warning a rise in COVID-19 cases was "almost inevitable".
She noted the state had weathered 13 incursions of the virus from interstate and hotel quarantine in the past six weeks.
"Queensland, COVID-19 is coming," Dr Young wrote in the piece, provided to AAP.
"It's unfortunate but almost inevitable that we will see a rise in COVID-19 cases here in coming months.
"That's why I am pleading with Queenslanders to wear masks when they are in public."
Queensland Health added new exposure sites to its list on Friday evening, including Indooroopilly State High School.
New locations also include a Virgin flight from Perth to Brisbane on July 18, Ipswich Hospital Fever Clinic and Ipswich CBD Community Vaccination Clinic.
Authorities are trying to track down plane passengers who flew between Perth and Brisbane and guests who stayed at two backpacker hostels with a man who has the virus.
The man quarantined after arriving in Brisbane from the Philippines on July 3.
He then flew to Perth on July 17 and was denied entry, placed in quarantine, then sent back to Brisbane on a flight on July 20.
The man became unwell while staying at a backpackers hostel in Brisbane and tested positive on Monday.
Contact tracers are still tracking any passengers on Qantas flight 932 from Brisbane to Perth on July 20 and guests who have stayed at the Brisbane City Backpackers HQ or Joe's Place Backpackers.
None of the other 62 guests at the hostels have tested positive, but are being quarantined in their rooms.
Authorities took the infected man to hospital on Thursday afternoon.
"I'm comfortable that we're doing what's needed," Dr Young said.
"We will just have to see what happens over the next few days, remembering that it's the Alpha variant, and so I wouldn't be surprised if we get cases in the next 10 days."
Meanwhile, 10 COVID-19 patients from a ship docked at Weipa, in the state's far north, have also been transferred to Brisbane hospitals for treatment.
Exposure sites can be viewed at qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/current-status/contact-tracing
Australian Associated Press
