“Really appalling” prediction for half of Australia's aged care
A dire warning has been issued for Australia’s aged care homes, with the CEO of Aged and Community Services Australia predicting that Covid will hit half in the coming week.
After recording low case numbers over the last several months, the number of aged care facilities with at least two residents or staff members who have tested positive has peaked at 124.
In NSW alone, there are 639 active cases of Covid among residents, as well as 728 among staff, as reported by The Daily Telegraph.
Currently, the number of deaths in aged care facilities with active cases of Covid stands at 13.
Speaking to the ABC on Tuesday, CEO Paul Sadler shared his prediction, adding that the number of cases is likely to grow even further.
“I believe there is now a risk that we will have over half of all the aged care homes in Australia with outbreaks, and that number is likely to continue to increase,” he said.
Despite the grim outlook, Mr Sadler defended the sector’s rollout of COVID-19 booster shots, saying third doses of the vaccine started within a week of approval.
“We were ready to go once ATAGI made that decision, but what happened, of course, was that the Omicron wave began in earnest in early December, and from that point on we’ve been struggling to protect older people,” he said.
Dr Kathy Eagar, a Professor of Health Services Research and expert in aged care at the University of Wollongong, said families with loved ones in care should be “really concerned” as cases increase.
“I think every family should be really concerned about what’s happening in aged care,” she said.
“Forty percent of aged care homes in Australia have a Covid outbreak - that is really appalling.”
Though 75 percent of facilities have administered booster shots, Dr Eagar believes it may be too late to be effective at preventing the spread.
“Every resident should have had the opportunity [to receive] the dose well before Christmas, and everyone was due well before Christmas,” she said.
Mr Sadler’s prediction comes as NSW and Victoria recorded 32 and 18 deaths respectively on Wednesday, with NSW Health’s Dr Kerry Chant warning that the number of deaths would continue to climb as the full impact of last week’s case numbers are felt.
NSW recorded its deadliest day on Tuesday with 36 deaths - 33 of whom were over the age of 65.
“All three of those under 65 had serious underlying health conditions and of the older people, only a handful - four - had had their boosters,” Dr Chant said.
Image: Getty Images