COVID alert issued in Cairns after traces of virus detected in wastewater treatment plant

Newly-found traces of coronavirus in Queensland wastewater have renewed fears there are undiagnosed cases in the community.

Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service on Wednesday night alerted residents in 17 suburbs to the find.

It said fragments of the virus were found in a sample taken from the Cairns North Wastewater Treatment Plant last week.

The plant receives samples from 17 suburbs, including Cairns City, Freshwater and Portsmith.

It also encompasses hotels serving as quarantine…