Another three cases, in hotel quarantine, brought the total new cases on Friday to nine. Authorities however expect this to rise further as testing rates increase and a seventh Gold Coast case is believed to have tested positive.

Broadbeach State School was forced to close on the last day of the school year, and it was revealed that one of the new cases, the father of the positive primary school student, appears to have been infectious at the time he visited a Broadbeach vaccination centre to receive his second dose of the vaccine.

It is not yet known if the new cases are the Delta strain or the new Omicron variant as most only tested positive late on Thursday and early Friday. Most are not unwell but have symptoms.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath, speaking on the Gold Coast, described it as a “huge wake up call”, coming just three days ahead of the much-anticipated reopening of the State’s borders to southern hotspots and a day after the State reached the 80 per cent double vaccinated milestone.

For most of the week, authorities have been singling out the Gold Coast as lagging behind in vaccination rates, urging residents to get the vaccine ahead of the border reopening.

“Just as we hit the 80 per cent double dose this is when we start getting these incursions happening, right here on the Gold Coast,” D’Ath said.

Whilst mask wearing is recommended on the Gold Coast, it is not yet mandatory.

“Please remember that we have had around 10 cases that have been on the Gold Coast in the last month and we don’t know what other transmission could be happening here … we can assume that there is likely to be transmission happening across the Gold Coast,” she said.

D’Ath said the vaccination rates on the Gold Coast were four to six per cent lower than the rest of Brisbane.

Acting chief health officer, Dr Peter Aitken, said three of the new cases were in one family group – a fully-vaccinated woman, working across the border, who had taken a rapid antigen test, which was negative and the next day a PCR test was positive. The husband has also tested positive and appears to have been infectious whilst at a clinic to receive his second vaccination shot.

It is believed the woman was infectious in the community for eight days and the male for six days.

The couple’s child, from Broadbeach State School, tested positive this morning, forcing the closure of the school and all her classmates and friendship group into isolation. Another child, who attends Miami High School, has so far tested negative.

Another case involves a male in his 30s, a fully vaccinated disability worker and band member who had been in Byron Bay and infectious for three days in the community. Three other band members had since travelled to West Australia.

Yet another case involves a male, in his 20s, who recently moved from New South Wales, whose close contact also tested positive early Friday. He may have been infectious in the community for five days.

A new case, which would bring the total to seven on the Gold Coast, is also believed to have surfaced at Mudgeeraba, but no details are yet available.

The Gold Coat’s proximity to the border, along with the influx of southern tourists tipped to flock to the beaches for the summer holidays, have prompted concern that not enough Gold Coasters are vaccinated.

D’Ath said New South Wales had received 63,000 international arrivals since November 1 who have not had to quarantine and that state’s case numbers were rising.

“It is inevitable that these cases are going to start moving into Queensland when our borders open on Monday,” D’Ath said.

Queensland also this week recorded its first two cases of the new Omicron variant – one traveller with Omicron and the other with the new Omicron Like, strain, first uncovered by Brisbane testers.

Borders will open at 1am on December 13 with lengthy delays expected at checkpoints.

And from December 17, the State’s vaccination mandate will come into force, along with all venues going back to full capacity. But to get into pubs, clubs, restaurants and a host of other venues,  patrons will have to be double vaccinated and show proof of their certificate.