The average Queenslander catching COVID-19 is older than they were at the start of the year, and there is a good chance their jabs aren't up to date, the state's Chief Health Officer says.
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Residents are being urged to wear face masks and take added precautions as the state enters its fourth wave and the alert level rises from green to amber.
"The most important action that Queenslanders can take, now that we have moved to Amber, is to make sure that you are up to date with your vaccinations," Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard said on Friday.
"This trumps all other measures in terms of its importance."
Two-thirds of people aged over 65 who tested positive in the last month have not been up to date with their vaccinations, and Dr Gerrard says there is still time for a booster shot before the wave peaks.
"Please encourage them to get those extra boosters, because we know that it prevents you from getting the disease, getting seriously ill and ending up in hospital and potentially dying," Dr Gerrard said.
"Now at the beginning of the wave is the best time to get vaccinated because your immunity will peak in a couple of weeks time and you will be protected from the virus.
"This is exactly the time to get vaccinated."
The number of cases among aged care residents has doubled in a week, from 63 to 126, while cases among those aged over 70 who are not in care have increased by 88 per cent from 400 to 825.
"Most of this rise has occurred since the weekend, It's been quite a rapid rise," Dr Gerrard said.
"It is very likely that all aged care facilities in Queensland will mandate masks...that will be done by the individual facility, not through government mandates.
"The government-run aged care facilities will have mandatory masks now for staff and visitors and that will apply to public hospitals as well."
Hospitalisations have more than doubled to 205 in the past week, while 73 people have died and 21,761 new cases have been recorded since the beginning of October.
The latest wave is now expected to hit its peak caseload as early as the start of December or as late as the week before Christmas.
The chief health officer's powers to order border closures, lock down cities or mandate vaccines for the general public were revoked by parliament last month.
"We will not see any lockdowns, travel bans, border closures, nothing like that," he said.
Dr Gerrard can still legally order infected people to isolate and close contacts to quarantine, and mandate face masks and vaccination in health facilities for another 12 months.
Australian Associated Press
