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New Queensland cases spent several days in the community

Queensland has recorded three new local cases of Covid-19 with Premier Annastacia Palaszcuzuk urging the population to continue to get vaccinated, as the state prepares to reopen borders.

Two of the new local cases were unvaccinated, and the other person has received one dose of a Covid vaccination.

All three are in Goondiwindi — a regional area on the border of QLD and NSW— after a case was identified there late Wednesday.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at a press conference wearing a red blazer and white shirt.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk urged residents to get vaccinated as the state reported three new locally acquired cases of Covid-19. Source: AAP

One case is a contact of a known cluster, the second has been in the community for five days with all household contacts testing negative and the third is a woman who has been in the community for four days.

Ms Palaszczuk said they won't lock Goondiwindi down, as the town has a high vaccination rate.

"93.1 per cent of the residents living in Goondiwindi have had one dose and 83.5 per cent have had two doses," Ms Palaszczuk told reporters.

"This is a highly vaccinated community."

Under the plan outlined by premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, borders are expected to open when the state hits the 80 per cent double-dose vaccine milestone.

The target is predicted to be reached on December 17, allowing fully-vaccinated people to enter the state by air or road, without having to quarantine, as long as they provide a negative Covid result within 72 hours of arriving

Covid will 'hunt' you out: Palaszczuk

The premier issued a stark warning for those yet to receive a vaccination, using the new cases as a reason why people shouldn't be complacent.

"My messages very clear and I have said this, if you are unvaccinated and the virus into your community, the virus will hunt you out.

"If you are unvaccinated you can get very very sick.

"It is really important to keep coming out and getting vaccinated and there is no better day to be vaccinated than today."

Health minister interrupted by anti-vaxxer

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath was interrupted by an anti-vaxxer during a press conference in Cairns on Thursday morning, as she urged locals to visit vaccination hubs.

68.7 per cent of the Cairns population is fully vaccinated and 77.5 per cent have received one dose.

The woman appeared to be filming the incident on her phone as she interrupted the press conference, shouting at Ms D’Ath.

“Oh, aren’t you a nice lady,” the woman was heard yelling.

“Who voted you in?

“Bring ’em up here now, let ’em all in.

“Spread the disease.”

Ms D’Ath had said earlier that there's "a lot of misinformation about the vaccine."

“And my concern is people are so focused on what the vaccine might do that they’re forgetting what the virus will do.

“The virus will make you very sick and you can end up in hospital, in ICU, and sadly some people will lose their lives.”

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