Gold Coast residents are facing the possibility of a return to lockdowns, face masks and restrictions if the latest mystery COVID-19 outbreak grows further.
The tourist strip's vaccination rates have lagged behind the rest of the state, with just 66.3 per cent of residents aged 16 and over double dosed.
It comes after a second unlinked COVID case was detected on the Gold Coast on Thursday, though no new unlinked cases were recorded today.
Bond University assistant professor in general practice Natasha Yates said any further cases would warrant a short, sharp lockdown.
"I really don't want lockdowns, I don't think any of us want lockdowns," Dr Yates said.
"But the problem is, as we have seen in other places, if you do not lockdown quickly then it spreads and gets out of control.
"None of us want that to run over Christmas.
"There's something extra needed for the Gold Coast community because there has been so much apathy here."
Vials of vaccine thrown out on the Gold Coast
Yesterday's case was a double-vaccinated rideshare driver in his 50s who lives at Carrara who had been infectious in the community for three days.
Dr Yates said the outbreak had sparked a renewed sense of urgency for people to get vaccinated, but that vials of vaccine were being thrown out due to the slow uptake.
"We sadly are having to throw out vials of Pfizer and AstraZeneca across the Gold Coast," she said.
"Doctors, first of all, try and see if there's another general practice that can use them before they expire.
"It's frustrating because if they had been given to residents in the last few weeks, we would not be quite so worried now.
"We really have been able to pretend COVID doesn't exist to a large extent, so I suspect if this spreads, this is going to be what we need for the Gold Coast to step up."
Dr Yates said vaccine-hesitant patients have claimed they wanted to "wait and see" if more safety information came out.
"We have vaccinated half the world now and we have got 11 months of safety data and vaccines have been given to billions of people.
"So I don't think there's anything to wait and see any more."
Premier poised to put more restrictions in place
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was holding off from sending the Gold Coast region into lockdown for now, but that she would do it if required.
"Let's see how it goes in the next 24 or 48 hours," she said.
"The good news here is the Uber driver was fully vaccinated.
"But can I say to other Gold Coast residents, you must check in when in an Uber and when you go to restaurants as it's going to make our contact tracing so much easier."
She again urged Gold Coasters to come out and get vaccinated.
Ms Palaszczuk urged people to consider wearing masks while on public transport and in crowded areas where they cannot socially distance.
The advice comes just two days after Queenslanders were told it was now safe to unmask, thanks to the statewide 80 per cent first-dose vaccine target being reached.
Vaccination data shows 79.2 per cent of people on the Gold Coast have had their first dose, with the double dose rate nudging 64 per cent.
'Lockdowns aren't a thing of the past'
University of Queensland virologist Kirsty Short said regions with low vaccine rates should expect lockdowns and tough restrictions for some time.
"There are some communities that have really, really low vaccination rates and if there is a COVID outbreak there potentially, a lockdown is the way to control it to reduce the speed in which it spreads," Dr Short said.
"Lockdowns aren't a thing of the past just because the state average is over 80 per cent.
"So these measures are going to continue and vaccination is key.
"But until we get that vaccination rate up, we have to rely on methods that have helped us in the past."
The latest Gold Coast cases have led to a string of new contacts sites being added to the exposure sites list, including an electronics store and coffee shop in Robina.
