Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard said the results of the random survey of Gold Coast households conducted over the past two weekends suggested the peak of the current Omicron wave had passed in the region.

He said of the 117 people interviewed in the first stage of the survey on 22 January, 20 tested positive for Covid-19 but 18 did not know they were infected.

When another 143 people were surveyed the following weekend, 11 tested positive to Covid, nine of whom were unaware of their infection.

Dr Gerrard said the results show that “a lot of people that are infected are completely unaware they are infected”.

“There were people walking around the Gold Coast who had no idea they have Covid-19 … hence the importance of masks even when you feel well,” he said.

He said the survey, done by a random door knock of households on the Gold Coast, was the first of its kind in Australia and was aimed at gathering more knowledge about the path of the pandemic and whether the Omicron wave had reached a peak.

The results suggested that by the end of February, a third of Queenslanders were likely to have been infected with the virus, he said.

He was speaking after Premier Annastacia Palaszcuk revealed that another nine people had died with Covid-19 over the past 24 hours, all aged over 60 and four of them in aged care.

The state has recorded 8643 new cases since Wednesday.

“There will be families out there grieving today and tonight,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

Gerrard said that even though the peak of the Omicron wave was near the government was planning for further waves of the pandemic, particularly over winter.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the survey results suggested that one in 13 people on the Gold Coast had the virus.

“So if you’ve got symptoms you’re more than likely to have Covid,” she said.