Covid 19 coronavirus: Queensland worker has mutant virus strain

Queensland's first Covid-19 case in 113 days - an inner Brisbane quarantine hotel cleaner - has tested positive to the virus' highly infectious UK variant.

The news was confirmed by the Queensland government on Thursday night.

The woman, who is in her 20s and lives in Algester in the capital's south, developed symptoms on Wednesday and got tested – though health authorities believe she has been infectious since January 2.

She'd worked one shift as a casual quarantine cleaner at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, in Brisbane's CBD on January 2 and took trains to and from work.

Aged care facilities across Greater Brisbane have now been placed into lockdown and visits to hospitals and disability accommodation banned.

Queensland's chief health officer Jeannette Young has urged anyone in Sunnybank Hills, Calamvale and Algester to get tested if they have symptoms.

The news comes hours after an elderly woman in Western Australia – who returned from the UK and is now in the Royal Perth Hospital – also was confirmed to have the new "mutant" strain.

The patient in question is at the centre of three Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) protocol breaches by an airport worker, a nurse and a paramedic.

However, the WA Government has moved to reassure the community the incidents don't pose a threat to public safety.

The new virus variant is "much more transmissable", epidemiology professor Tony Blakely told ABC Radio on Tuesday.

"So not only is it a threat if it gets in [to Australia], but it's more likely to get in than previous versions of the virus on a traveller."

WA's Premier Mark McGowan told reporters today he was "extremely disappointed" to learn of the breaches.

The Queensland Government confirmed the new case had the UK mutant strain. Photo / Getty images

"I was shocked. This was an event that I was exasperated and flabbergasted by and I advised health of that," he said.

"Clearly there is complacency and mistakes are creeping in."

Meanwhile, NSW and Victoria recorded massive amounts of testing on Wednesday - both states have recorded zero new cases from a combined total of roughly 65,000 tests.

In further good news, the mystery case that sparked concern in Victoria yesterday has been linked back to the outbreak on Sydney's northern beaches.