Responsibility for Queensland’s pandemic response will now fall to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Director of Infectious Diseases, Dr Krispin Hajkowicz.

Dr Hajkowicz will take over from Dr Jeannette Young when she steps down as the state’s Chief Health Officer on 1 November.

Dr Young said her replacement had been heavily involved in the state’s response to the pandemic and was “the perfect person” to take on the role.

“He has been the lead in the treatment and management of COVID-19 cases and it is no accident that Queensland has only had seven deaths out of our 2048 cases so far,” she said on Tuesday.