Victoria targets areas with low COVID-19 testing and high-risk workforces – including aged care – amid increase in community transmission

The state has been a ‘hotspot’ for confirmed cases of coronavirus in aged care home in recent weeks, with cases of residents and staff being infected at six homes in Melbourne and regional Victoria. Victoria has one of the widest testing criteria and highest testing rates in the world with over 590,000 people already tested, but has seen a spike in cases in recent days with seven of the nine cases reported yesterday the result of community transmission. Now Victoria’s Minister for Health, Jenny Mikakos, has announced they are stepping up its target testing program to focus on Local Government Areas (LGAs) with low testing rates, communities with high case numbers, high-risk workforces and vulnerable groups. The program – which will run until the end of August, 10 weeks away – will be rolled out in four three-week waves across different locations and LGAs, starting in Mildura, Kyabram, Dandenong and Brimbank before moving to inner-city Melbourne, Moreland City Council, City of Melton, Colac Otway Shire, City of Whittlesea, Surf Coast Shire, Hume City and Wyndham City. We asked the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) about their current advice for residential aged care and home care workers. Their spokesperson said anyone who works in aged care and shows signs of a respiratory condition should not go to work and immediately be tested for COVID-19.

“At all times, any health care worker who suspects that they may have coronavirus should have a test to not only look after themselves but also the people they care for,” they stated.