Queensland has recorded another 8,209 new COVID-19 cases in the latest reporting period and 19 virus-related deaths, but there's been a fall in the number of people in hospital.
However, the COVID hospitalisation number remains high at 1,023 cases, with 26 patients in intensive care, but it is 100 fewer COVID hospital patients than yesterday.
There are currently more than 64,011 active COVID-19 cases across the state and 127 new flu cases.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the deaths confirmed in the latest reporting period were one person in their 50s, four people in their 70s, six in their 80s, seven in their 90s and one who was over 100.
Mr Miles also expressed his sympathies to the family of toddler Ruby Edwards, who died from COVID-19 on the weekend.
He said he was not able to provide any further details about the death of the 23-month-old at the Queensland Children's Hospital on Sunday.
"As you'd understand when you're talking about a single individual it's very hard to identify them and out of respect for the privacy of that family," he said.
"And of course, our health workers who would have done everything that they could to take care of that child."
Vaccination rates determine health response
Mr Miles said the effectiveness of vaccination was reflected in the state's COVID-19 hospitalisation rates.
"While we are seeing large numbers of cases, the number of hospitalisations, as a proportion of those cases, is much smaller than earlier variants," he said.
"Also the number of those hospitalisations who need ICU care is lower, the number of fatal cases as a proportion of total cases is also lower."
He said the government had been able to take a different approach to the latest wave because of the vaccination rates.
"The public health measures we had in place earlier in the pandemic were all designed to get us to the point where people had the chance to get vaccinated.
"That was always the strategy, to suppress the virus as far as possible until everyone had the chance to get vaccinated."
Impact on our hospitals
Mr Miles said there is "no doubt" the surge in COVID-19 cases was having an impact on the state's hospital system but said it was all within the state's planning.
"With this number of cases in hospital as well as the number of health workers who are off sick themselves, that's having an impact on our hospitals," he said.
"We have established surge planning ... and we remain within the thresholds of that surge planning.
"I understand hospitals are accessing private hospital beds, they are there rescheduling planned care where it's safe to do so."
