Queensland has seen 14 more deaths on Friday as the extent of the virus spread in schoolchildren becomes more apparent.
Queensland also saw 5977 new cases recorded on Friday, with 535 being treated for the disease in public hospitals, and 49 in private facilities.
Of the people who died, 10 were in aged care, with one person in their 60s, five in their 70s, five in their 80s and three in their 90s.
Three of the people who died were not vaccinated, two had one dose, five had two doses and four had received the booster shot.
Chief Health officer John Gerrard revealed that 1149 school children tested positive to the virus on Friday, with PCR and RAT test data compiled for the first time.
Dr Gerrard said the numbers were not unexpected, but said it showed the virus was spreading steadily through the community.
“I think the main lesson from that is that this virus is very widespread, there are a lot of children who have the virus with mild symptoms, and we think it’s been that way for some weeks,” he said.
“This is not something that concerns us greatly … but it’s not a surprise and we’re not unduly concerned. It shows, as we’ve said, that there is a lot of the virus in the community including in children.”
Of the positive tests, 280 children aged 5-to-11 tested positive via PCR tests and 347 through RATs, while 236 students aged 12-to-17 tested positive through PCR tests while 286 were detected by RATs.
COVID-19 spreading among students ‘as expected’, 14 more deaths on Friday
Source: Philippines Alive
