Queensland COVID-19 cases surge to record 10,332 infections

COVID-19 case numbers have again jumped in Queensland with another 10,332 new infections reported today – the highly daily increase to date.

There are now 284 patients being treated in hospital, 12 of whom in the intensive care unit.

One death has been recorded – a man in his 80s – who passed away in December but has now officially been confirmed as having died with the virus.

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Today's caseload marks the first time since Queensland has recorded five-digit numbers since the pandemic began.

There are now more than 42,000 active cases across the state.

Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard has reiterated his message to Queenslanders that all residents should brace for continual high caseloads, but the rate of infections in hospital is the real number of concern.

Dr Gerrard said that cases reported today are a "gross underestimate of the true number".

"As we know many patients are doing their own testing at home, some patients will have a very mild illness and won't know… and some can't access testing as we all know," he said.

The number of COVID-19 patients in hospital in Queensland is increasing "steadily".

"The number is increasing and is expected in the next few weeks to increase substantially," Dr Gerrard said.

"This epidemic is looking quite a bit different from the previous epidemic where we saw a large number of patients in intensive care."

"The bulk" of new COVID-19 patients in Queensland continue to be young people in their 20s and 30s.

"The many thousands of patients that we have been seeing so far in this pandemic in Queensland have been young," Dr Gerrard said.

"Because this is the most socially mobile group.

"And so, we've seen major outbreaks in that group and we are just beginning to learn about the effects of the virus on the older age group."

Dr Gerrard said the state still "has not seen significant numbers of serious illness" in the older age group, but "the number actually infected still relatively small".

"That will be important to observe over the next two to three weeks," he said.

More than 90 per cent of eligible Queenslanders have now received their first dose of a vaccine, while over 87 per cent are fully vaccinated.

It comes as millions of COVID-19 rapid antigen tests will be made available in the state from today as the state government seeks to ease testing pressure.

The government has ordered 18 million tests, a portion of which will be rolled out across the state today.

The rapid tests will be made available for close contacts at testing clinics, while there will also be a larger supply in pharmacies.

In an additional bid to lessen the weight on testing hubs, an extra six private pathology clinics will open sites across Brisbane today.

Tensions around the long lines are boiling over, with a woman who refused to leave a clinic at Murrarie in Brisbane's east yesterday after being turned away, seeing her car rammed.

But even amid the new rule change by the federal government that states you only need to test positive on a rapid antigen test to qualify as having COVID-19, there are still masses queueing up today.

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At the Mount Gravatt clinic this morning, cars were queueing up from 3am - six hours before the site opens for testing.

Queensland recorded 6781 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, taking active cases in the state to above 32,000.

Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard said he "strongly" believed the current Omicron wave would last "a period of weeks" and will massively help create immunity across the community.

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