Queensland has recorded another eight COVID-19 related deaths and 6094 virus cases as hospital admissions continue to drop.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk expressed her "deepest sympathy" for the families of those who have died, four of whom were in aged care.
Hospital numbers in the state continue to drop, down to 334 on Thursday from 379, and Ms Palaszczuk said cases in school-aged children are also trending down.
Just under 63.6 per cent of eligible Queenslanders have received their third booster shot, but the first dose vaccine rate for kids aged between five and 11 is still under fifty per cent.
The figure sits at 42.28 per cent as the state counts down to mask mandate lifting in just over a week.
Ms Palaszczuk is encouraging parents to get their children vaccinated before March 4 when restrictions are scheduled to relax.
Meanwhile the government continues to back it's purpose-built quarantine facility at Wellcamp that's currently housing "over 90" guests.
Liberal National member Pat Weir on Thursday asked Ms Palaszczuk how quarantine would work for international arrivals to Brisbane once a second Commonwealth facility at nearby Pinkenba opened.
"Will Pinkenba be fully utilised before people who land at Brisbane Airport requiring quarantine are bussed 162 kilometres to Wellcamp?" he said.
The state government has agreed to lease Wellcamp for a year with an option to extend and Ms Palaszczuk said regional quarantine acted as a pandemic safeguard.
Both facilities are expected to have a 1000 person capacity when fully completed.
"We don't know what's around the corner, I don't know what the next variant is going to be," Ms Palaszczuk told parliament on Thursday.
"Back in November ... we didn't even know there was a variant called Omicron."
Australian Associated Press
