Fragments of the COVID-19 virus have been detected at the Cairns North and Brisbane inner city wastewater treatment plants, as the state faces a nervous wait to find out whether the virus has spread into the community after an infected Brisbane doctor was linked to confirmed quarantine hotel cases.
Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said anyone with symptoms, no matter how mild, should come forward and get tested.
“Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, fatigue, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting, and loss of taste or smell,” Dr Young said.
“It is very important people with symptoms come forward right away and get tested – we can’t be complacent, we’re still in this pandemic.”
“It is critical we detect any cases that we may not be aware of as quickly as possible through our testing system, to contain any potential spread.
“We are concerned by the new variants that are emerging overseas that are more contagious than previous variants we have seen in Queensland.”
She said it was also possible that the detection related to previous COVID-19 cases that can shed viral fragments for months after they are no longer infectious.
If you’d like to know which suburbs are included these catchments, visit the Queensland Health wastewater areas webpage.
For more information about Queensland’s wastewater surveillance program, visit the Queensland Health website.
To access a full list of COVID-19 testing locations, with interactive map and post code search, visit www.qld.gov.au/covid19testing.
