COVID-19 outbreaks jump by over 100 in aged care homes in one week

The spread of the latest Omicron variants is continuing to hit residential care hard, with the number of active outbreaks increasing by 110 in the past week from 627 to 737. The number of COVID-19 resident deaths this year has also surpassed 2,000, with another 91 deaths recorded in the seven days to 7 July. Uniting Griffith in the NSW Riverina sadly lost six residents, and two aged care homes suffered the death of five residents with COVID in the past seven days: mecwacare Park Hill in Mornington, VIC, and SummitCare Wallsend, Newcastle, NSW. Some operators are facing large outbreaks. Aegis Banksia Park at Calista, a southern suburb of Perth, has 143 cases, with 55 residents and 88 staff affected, and Autumn Aged Care’s Clovelly Cottage at Boronia, 29km east of Melbourne CBD, has 110 cases, with 77 residents and 33 staff hit. This is despite 95.2% of residents having received three doses of a COVID vaccine and 68.3% having received a fourth Winter dose of vaccine.

On 8 July, there were 3,816 residents and 2,081 staff with COVID in 737 active (two or more) outbreaks in residential aged care homes. Seven days earlier there were 3,281 residents and 1,730 staff with the virus with 627 active RACs.

Paul Sadler, the Interim CEO of the new peak body Aged & Community Care Providers Association, says there is potential for another peak in outbreaks in aged care homes, similar to January when two-thirds of residential aged care homes had COVID.