Brisbane's lockdown could be extended into the Easter holidays and expanded to the Gold Coast as the number of coronavirus cases continues to grow.
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Another eight cases of community transmission were reported on Tuesday taking the total number of cases in two clusters to 15.
A government spokesperson told AAP on Wednesday morning that more cases were expected to emerge amid unconfirmed reports that a second nurse at the Princess Alexandra Hospital has tested positive.
The lockdown of 2.5 million people in Greater Brisbane had been due to lift at 5pm on Thursday, but Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says authorities have switched to assessing the situation "day-by-day".
"Do we expect to see more cases? Probably, probably we will see more," she said on Tuesday.
"The big question will be whether or not we see unlinked community transmission."
Known COVID-19 cases have now visited venues in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Gladstone, Toowoomba, Hervey Bay and Gin Gin.
The number of exposure sites in Queensland jumped to 81 overnight with alerts for another two venues across the border in the NSW town of Byron Bay.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has left the door open to expand lockdown to cover more regions.
The Gold Coast residents are particularly nervous after nine local venues were listed as exposure sites on Tuesday night.
"The message here is that people should be on alert, no matter where they are in Queensland," Dr Young said.
The PA Hospital, where the latest case has reportedly emerged, was locked down even harder on Tuesday night.
Queensland's second largest hospital started turning away all but the most critical patients on Wednesday morning.
Like all Brisbane hospitals, it had been turning away visitors since Friday.
"This additional lockdown will enable PA Hospital to put in place processes to manage impacts associated with these linked cases," an official said.
The hospital is testing all staff that have worked in the COVID-19 ward since March 19 with all known virus cases linked to two unvaccinated staff who tested positive there.
Amid growing criticism about the state's slow vaccine rollout and health workers treating COVID-19 patients, Ms Palaszczuk said that 41,000 frontline staff or 89 per cent had received their first jab.
"We expect that to be completed over the next 48 hours," she said.
The state government has mandated that workers treating virus cases must have received their first dose of vaccine.
Federal Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud lashed the Queensland government over its slow vaccine rollout and said withholding vaccines to give people second doses was irresponsible.
He said the state could have asked the federal government to support the rollout at any point.
"This isn't about blame, this is about stepping up and owning your mistakes, and owning what you haven't done," Mr Littleproud told Nine's Today program on Wednesday.
"Now if the federal government hasn't done their job, we deserve an uppercut. But let me say the states have been sitting on their hands, they've been too complacent."
The Greater Brisbane region has been declared a COVID-19 hotspot by Australian Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly, who warned the situation was escalating and travellers should take note of border closures.
"It may be one thing to go there but coming back might also be difficult," he said.
"I can't predict what's going to happen in the next week or two."
Australian Associated Press
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