The 81-year-old fighting to beat COVID and give Queensland the all-clear
Queensland has just one active case of COVID-19 after going another week without a new infection.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles has committed the government to implementing any recommendations of the Coaldrake inquiry. (Photo: ABC)
As of Monday morning, the only case listed as active involves an 81-year-old man being treated at Gold Coast University Hospital. It is not known where the man was first diagnosed, or the circumstances, however he has been seriously ill for months.
The man was moved out of intensive care and into a general ward in mid-June – an achievement heralded by Deputy Premier and Health Minister Steven Miles at the time.
“After almost three months in ICU with COVID-19 related pneumonia, an 81-year-old man was yesterday moved out of intensive care and into another ward at Gold Coast University Hospital,” Miles told parliament.
“I can only imagine how incredibly difficult a journey these months would have been for the man and his family. I thank staff at the Gold Coast University Hospital for their hard work and dedication. I am told they celebrated with a small morning tea yesterday.”
The Gold Coast experienced the first cases of COVID-19 in a visiting Chinese tour group and also had the highest-profile cases, Hollywood star Tom Hanks and his entertainer wife Rita Wilson.
Queensland Health authorities are alert to any new cases either coming from interstate as a result of border restrictions being eased or resulting from public gatherings and business being allowed more freedom. Queensland will soon have conducted more than 400,000 COVID-19 tests since the pandemic began.
Queensland has recorded 1067 cases of COVID-19, with six Queenslanders dying – the most recent being an 83-year-old in April after contracting the virus on a cruise ship. The other 1055 Queenslanders to have been diagnosed have all since recovered.
