The Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service has tested the equivalent of the population of Hervey Bay and quarantined an average of 38 people a week since the pandemic started.
Raw numbers reveal the scale of the Wide Bay HHS's COVID-19 response.
Since the Australia's first case was confirmed on 25 January 2020, Queensland has recorded 1,793 cases. Of these, 39 have been recorded in the Wide Bay region and all have since recovered.
"Around 80 per cent of Queensland's cases have been acquired overseas, with a large portion detected in quarantine, and this is reflective in the Wide Bay HHS region," Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said.
"And the majority of our locally-acquired cases were safely isolating while they were infectious, instead of risking the health of others in the community, which is a fantastic result."
Sadly, the virus has claimed the lives of seven people in Queensland, with Dr Young saying the responsible actions of Queenslanders undoubtedly prevented more tragedies.
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service Vaccine Lead Fiona Sewell praised people from across the Wide Bay for signing on to join the vaccination rollout as clinics became available to them.
"It's wonderful that so many people in our community have enthusiastically got behind the effort to keep all of us safe by receiving COVID-19 vaccinations," Ms Sewell said.
"Our regular vaccine clinics at Bundaberg, Hervey Bay and Maryborough have been constantly busy with appointments, while our visiting clinics to sites like Gayndah, Agnes Water, Monto and other locations across our region have been embraced by local communities.
"I wish to also thank our wonderful staff for their professionalism, positive attitude and work ethic as they serve at our vaccination clinics – their contribution is greatly appreciated by the entire health service and the broader community."
Dr Young said Queensland's vaccine roll-out had progressed well given the nation's issues sourcing supplies.
As of 29 July 2021, Wide Bay HHS has administered 35,141 COVID-19 vaccinations, including 23,619 Pfizer doses and 11,522 AstraZeneca doses.
"To have a good amount of the Wide Bay region vaccinated at this stage of the rollout is a great achievement which has happened because of people taking that opportunity to register for an appointment when their group becomes eligible or when a visiting clinic visits their town," Ms Sewell said.
"I encourage eligible people to get vaccinated as it's the best way to protect yourself against the virus and ensure you can get back to a normal way of life that is no longer restricted by COVID-19.
"If they haven't done so already people should register their interest so an appointment can be booked when they become eligible for a vaccination – just please be patient if supply issues can at times cause a delay."
As of 29 July 2021, Wide Bay HHS has:
- Completed 71,669 tests on 52,009 people
- Had 2,476 people receive a quarantine notice
- 17 females and 22 males tests positive to COVID-19
- Age breakdown of COVID-19 cases:
- 0 aged 0-9
- 0 aged 10-19
- 6 aged 20-29
- 5 aged 30-39
- 1 aged 40-49
- 7 aged 50-59
- 6 aged 60-69
- 12 aged 70-79
- 2 aged 80-89
