General News
28 March, 2020
COVID-19 detected in Douglas Shire
Two Mossman residents who recently returned from overseas were sent from Mossman Hospital to Cairns Hospital before testing positive for the virus
The Douglas Shire has had it’s first confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Two Mossman residents who recently returned from overseas were sent from Mossman Hospital to Cairns Hospital before testing positive for the virus, the pair are now being treated in isolation.
The news comes a week after the Express exclusively revealed that a Tablelands resident had tested positive to COVID-19 and was now in self-isolation somewhere on the Tablelands.
Cairns and Hinterland (Tablelands) now have 19 confirmed cases of COVID19. Queensland has 70 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) raising the state total to 625.
Queensland health includes the Atherton, Mareeba and Cairns Hospitals into the one group, the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service (CHHHS)
The majority of cases are from patients who have travelled overseas or have had direct contact with a confirmed case who had travelled overseas.
The Express has approached Queensland health a number of times to clarify how many cases have been detected on the Tablelands versus how many are actually in Cairns and in a written response replied:
“Due to the number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) now in Queensland, currently all the information we are able to provide publicly is available in our media statements at https://www.health.qld.gov.au/
Should the public need to know additional details for public health purposes, we will issue a public health alert, and enlist the help of the media to get the message out.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. Together we can keep Queenslanders safe and aware, but not alarmed.“
For more information on coronavirus (COVID-19) go to www.health.qld.gov.au/coronavirus
