The Latest Breaking News from John Gerrard

Another 13 people in Queensland have died from COVID and 8,580 new cases have been recorded in the state, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says. She also confirmed masks will be mandatory for high school students and encouraged for students from Year 3 when classes resume on February 7.

Another 12 people in Queensland die from COVID-19 and 10,391 new cases are confirmed in the latest reporting period, with a third of the deaths being people who were unvaccinated.

Woolworths says absences at its distribution centres has decreased, but rapid antigen tests, paracetamol and toilet paper are still subject to purchase limits.

Queensland has another 13 COVID-19 deaths and 10,212 new cases but hospitals are coping, with the 879 virus patients much lower than the thousands expected.

Chief Health Officer John Gerrard says the number of people in hospital on the Gold Coast has "declined slightly every day for the past four days" and the city may have passed or is close to its current peak.

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Health Minister Yvette D'Ath says there are now 863 people in hospital with COVID-19, with 47 patients in ICU. There are 85,112 active cases of the virus across the state.

Queensland records 10 new COVID-19 deaths and has 884 people in hospital being treated for symptoms, with international borders now open for fully vaccinated travellers to come to into the state without having to quarantine.

Sixteen people in Queensland die from COVID-19 in the latest reporting period, the highest daily number of deaths recorded in the pandemic, with 15,962 new infections confirmed and 819 people being treated in hospital.