QUEENSLAND’S Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young confirms five new cases of COVID-19 detected in Cairns hotel quarantine today.
Cairns now has a total of eight active cases, with the five new cases in addition to the three other cases reported on Tuesday.
Of the eight Cairns cases, one patient is being treated in Brisbane. Health authorities suggest that more of the cases may transfer south for care, to relieve pressure on Cairns Health ,as the cases are related to an emerging situation at the Ok Tedi copper mine in Papua New Guinea.
Charter flights servicing workers of the OK Tedi mine from Tabuli into Cairns have been cancelled for the next week as the situation is assessed.
Cairns residents also remain on alert after traces of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, have been detected at the Southern Cairns Wastewater Treatment Plant in samples taken on February 24, 2021.
Queensland has seven new cases of COVID-19 to report today, bringing the state’s total to 1,342.
All cases were detected in hotel quarantine. The additional two new cases are linked to Qatar Airways flight QR898 from Doha to Brisbane on 17 February 2021. Both are close contacts of a previously reported case linked to this flight, sharing the same room during quarantine. Genomic testing is currently underway for both these cases.
About Ok Tedi
Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) operates the Ok Tedi Mine, the longest running open-pit copper, gold and silver mine in Papua New Guinea. Our registered office is located in Tabubil, Western Province, PNG. We also have a representative office in Port Moresby, PNG and a logistics facility in Brisbane, Australia.
Featured Image / Ok Tedi COVID-19 testing. Image Credit/ Ok Tedi Mining corporation
