Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has defended Queensland’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout after a Brisbane doctor contracted the virus from a patient.

March 14, 2021

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has defended Queensland’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout after an unvaccinated doctor contracted the virus from a patient at a Brisbane hospital.

Only half the frontline health workers at Princess Alexandra Hospital have received their first jab three weeks after the rollout started.

“Not everyone working in contact with hotel quarantine people has been done to date,” Ms Palaszczuk told reporters on Sunday.

“It’s a gradual rollout. They’ve already done 1615 (staff at the hospital). It’s a slow and steady process to get this right.”

There 3862 staff at PA who fall under Phase 1A of the rollout, Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said.

The female doctor had contact with two patients in the early hours of Wednesday before testing positive on Friday.

The patients who are believed to have passed on the virus have the highly contagious UK strain.

Genomic testing is underway to confirm whether the doctor has the same strain.

She worked a shift at PA late on Wednesday and Thursday while asymptomatic and was infectious in the community for about a day.

The hospital is in lockdown and contact tracing is underway with five venues of concern listed across the city.

All hospitals, aged care and disability facilities in the Greater Brisbane area are closed to visitors and masks must be worn inside them.

Deputy Chief Health Officer Sonya Bennett said the state’s vaccination program was on track but no one was yet fully inoculated against the virus.

“It’s always been anticipated that it would take some time,” she said.

“There’s light at the end of the tunnel but there’s certainly a long way to go.”

Dr Bennett said the doctor had worn the correct PPE while attending the infected patients and no breach had been reported.

Three high risk sites in the community have been identified.

Those who attended the Morning After Cafe in West End between 2pm and 3.15pm, Greenslopes’ Corporate Box gym between 5.45pm and 7pm, and the Stones Corner Hotel between 7pm and 7.45pm must get tested and isolate for two weeks.

Two low risk venues – Coorparoo McDonalds betwen 3.10pm and 3.20pm and the Corporate Box Gym after 7pm – have also been identified by Queensland Health.

Health experts say the next 72 hours are critical to see if there has been any further community spread.

Half the 37,000 Queenslanders included in Phase 1A of the vaccine rollout have received their first dose, Ms D’Ath said.

“We are on track. We are delivering exactly what we said we would in line with the national agreement and in line with the targets we set ourselves to roll out … to frontline workers in the 1A group,” she said.

The vaccination program has also been accelerated in the Torres Strait, with concerns growing outbreaks in Papua New Guinea could spread to the vulnerable communities.