Queensland has recorded its deadliest day of the pandemic, with 21 people dying of COVID-19 as 8,508 new cases are confirmed in the latest reporting period, Chief Health Officer John Gerrard says.
The deaths ranged from people in their 60s to their 90s and seven were in aged care facilities. Four were unvaccinated and only two had received a booster.
There are 790 people being treated for COVID-19 in hospital, 63 of whom are in private hospitals. There are 48 people in intensive care.
Dr Gerrard said it remains vitally important for aged care residents to get their third vaccine dose.
"We know that the booster, that third dose of vaccine, is absolutely critical in protecting us, particularly older people, for severe disease, hospitalisation, intensive care, admission and death.
"We do know that 70 per cent of Queenslanders over the age of 70 have received the booster, it's only 30 per cent who have not, and yet [more than] 90 per cent of the people who have died in this reporting period were unboosted."
Queensland 'past the peak of transmission'
Dr Gerrard said hospitalisations again declined in the latest 24-hour reporting period, down from 798 the previous day.
"We know there'll be a lag as people get discharged as in terms of hospitalisations, and intensive care admissions and deaths. There will be a lag in that but the peak of transmission [has] certainly passed."
Meanwhile, Queensland school students and staff will return to campus on Monday with several COVID-safe measures implemented to try to reduce the spread of the virus.
Dr Gerrard said parents should not be "unduly concerned" about their children returning to classes.
"I do want to emphasise the immune system of a child is very different to an immune system of someone over the age of 60," he explained.
"Children are able to recognise new viruses … their immune system is able to recognise new viruses and that's why they don't get sick.
"There may be some disruption in this first term because kids may, or will, get it and have to isolate and the families may have to quarantine.
"The other risk with children getting it is the risk of them transmitting it to their grandparents and, again, I must emphasise that's why it's so important that the grandparents of small children get vaccinated."
Wellcamp quarantine facility opens
Queensland's Wellcamp quarantine facility, near Toowoomba, has welcomed its first visitors, with about 10 unvaccinated international travellers taken to the facility by bus from Brisbane.
Mr Miles said he while wished the Wellcamp facility had been available sooner, authorities will make good use of it.
"We are keen to start small and build upwards from there so that we can test our systems [and] make sure that everything the staff need are there to take care of those guests," he said.
The facility has 500 beds already, with another 500 expected to be ready by early April.
"I have no doubt that there will be an ongoing need for accommodation and that need might change," Mr Miles said.
"We have people coming from countries whose vaccination programs aren't recognised by our [Therapeutic Goods Administration] and we have maritime arrivals, we have [agriculture] workers who have to quarantine before going on to farms.
"We continue to have, I think, 10 hotels in our hotel quarantine program, underlining how we continue to have this need for accommodation and I'm certainly pleased to have purpose-built accommodation available."
