Another 12 people in Queensland have died from COVID and 10,391 new cases have been recorded, with a third of the deaths being people who were unvaccinated.
There are now 833 people in hospital with the virus, up slightly from yesterday, and 53 of those patients are in intensive care units.
Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said four of the people who died in the latest reporting period were unvaccinated and none had received a booster shot.
Six were in their 80s, three were in their 90s, two were in their 70s and one was in their 60s.
"These are all people who have died who have had a recently positive COVID-19 test," Dr Gerrard said.
Two had received a single dose of a COVID vaccine, five had received two doses and none had received a booster.
Dr Gerrard said while southern Queensland had reached the peak of the epidemic, it was not at the end.
"It's not too late to get your booster and I just remind you that [a] third dose is quite critical."
Masks to be mandatory for older school students
Asked about the state's back-to-school plan, Dr Gerrard said it would be "commonsense" and parents should not be anxious.
He revealed that masks would be mandatory for students in grades 7 and above and "encouraged" for younger age groups, but said the plan was still being finalised.
"I'm probably jumping the gun here because the plan will be released very soon," he said.
"Let's wait for the plan to be officially released.
"There isn't anything in the plan that will shock Queenslanders … I don't think there's anything Queenslanders need to worry about."
Dr Gerrard said cases would spike when school returns.
"Whether or how much it will impact hospitalisations for example, we don't know.
"We know that young people generally have a very mild illness," he said.
Hospitalisations lower than predicted
Dr Gerrard said the Gold Coast was at least seven days ahead of the rest of the state, in terms of reaching the peak of the current outbreak.
"So, we don’t really expect to see significant falls here in the rest of south-east Queensland until some time in the coming week," he said.
The state's total number of COVID-19 hospitalisations was "significantly lower" than initial predictions, Dr Gerrard said.
"In terms of age groups, it started [with] the younger age groups, younger adults, people in their 20s and then [spread] through the younger working groups, the workforce of Queensland.
"Already we're seeing reductions right across Queensland in the numbers of people with COVID-19 in the workforce," he said.
Dr Gerrard said the elderly population would be the last cohort to be affected by Omicron.
"What we're seeing in hospitals reflect the next group, which is the older age group in particular, and those with comorbidities," he said.
"That will be the last group that we will see — and, in many ways, clearly the most important."
Dr Gerrard said Queensland authorities were "not unduly concerned" about the new COVID subvariant of Omicron that has been found in Australia.
The BA.2 subvariant has been reported in more than 40 countries, and in some places has started to grow faster than the original Omicron.
