Queensland's first COVID-19 case in 113 days - tested positive to the UK variant

A Brisbane hotel quarantine cleaner became Queensland's first local COVID-19 case in 113 days. Genome testing revealed tonight the woman,  employed as a casual cleaner at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane, has the latest mutation of coronavirus currently causing concern across the UK.

The woman, who is in her 20s and lives in Algester in the capital’s south, developed symptoms yesterday and got tested – though health authorities believe she has been infectious since January 2.

The testing has sparked concerns of an outbreak as the woman caught public transport and went shopping before she developed symptoms and got tested yesterday.

It is unclear exactly how she contracted the virus, but a child returning from the UK was one of Queensland's cases in hotel quarantine today.

The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk urged anyone in Queensland who has any symptom to get tested immediately. 

"The key messages are if you are sick, please go and get tested," she said.

"We want all of our community to be safe in Queensland."

Aged care facilities across Greater Brisbane have now been placed into lockdown and visits to hospitals and disability accommodation banned.

Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has urged anyone in Sunnybank Hills, Calamvale and Algester to get tested if they have symptoms.

Alerts have been issued for a train from Altandi station to Roma street at 7am on 2 January, a train from Central Station to Altandi station at 4pm on 2 January, Woolworths Calamvale North 11am-12pm on 3 January, Coles Sunnybank Hills, 7.30am-8am on 5 January, and the Newsagent at Sunnybank Hills Shopping Town, 8am-8.15am on 5 January.

The news comes hours after an elderly woman in Western Australia – who returned from the UK and is now in the Royal Perth Hospital – also was confirmed to have the new “mutant” strain.

The patient in question is at the centre of three Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) protocol breaches by an airport worker, a nurse and a paramedic. 

However, the WA Government has moved to reassure the community the incidents don’t pose a threat to public safety.

Meanwhile, NSW and Victoria recorded Zero new cases from a combined total of about 65,000 tests in yesterday’s reporting period.