Ms Palaszczuk said all but one of the infections, which are at their highest daily rate since August 22, were among people already in isolation when they were tested.

"From the outset, I want to assure Queenslanders that although that number is our highest daily tally for some time, each of those people diagnosed is related to existing cases," she said.

"This is not a time for alarm - this is a time to thank that our testing system is so professional."

A Year 11 student at St Edmund's College in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, and one of his parents are among the new cases.

They along with a third person all have infections linked to Ipswich Hospital, where an outbreak has sent more than 200 medical and admin staff into quarantine.

St Edmund's principal Ray Celegato said the Catholic boys school was likely to remain shut until next week as it undergoes intensive cleaning and contact tracing.

He said Year 11 students had only been on campus for exams and Queensland Health was confident the risk of exposure was low.

"Students who are likely to have been exposed will be contacted and given the opportunity for testing," Mr Celegato told reporters.

Exams will be rescheduled in order to allow students to finish by the end of term on September 25.

The five other cases are from the same family and connected to a cluster at Queensland's Corrective Services training facility in Waco. They were already isolating prior to testing positive.

There are now 93 cases linked to an outbreak triggered when a pair of women flouted strict border measures on return from a trip to Melbourne in June.

Queensland currently has 29 active cases. Victoria, the state worst hit by the virus, has 1622 active cases.

Ms Palaszczuk again went on the offensive over the Sunshine State's tough coronavirus laws, attacking the LNP opposition for criticisms levelled at the chief health officer.

She singled out a cartoon which depicted Dr Jeannette Young as a dominatrix.

"It is despicable and the cartoons that have been circulated by the LNP is a disgrace. It is a complete and utter disgrace," she told parliament on Wednesday.

The premier said she wasn't without sympathy for people unable to visit loved ones in hospital during the lockdown, saying she had also been unable to visit her uncle when he was diagnosed with lung cancer.

Also in parliament on Wednesday, the State Development, Tourism and Innovation Minister Kate Jones revealed the University of Queensland could have the capacity to produce a COVID-19 vaccine by mid-2021.

More than 7000 Queenslanders volunteered to be part of a COVID-19 vaccination trial by UQ, Ms Jones said.

An Australian-produced vaccine could prove vital, she said, following news pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has paused its COVID-19 trial after a "potentially unexplained illness".

Australia has ordered 33 million doses of the Oxford University vaccine to be rolled out from early next year if the trials prove successful.

Australian Associated Press