57.9% of aged care residents have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the last six months, the recommended dose for over 75s, there remains aged care homes across the country with low COVID-19 vaccination rates, despite the risk from the virus increases during winter.
The latest data from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, as of July 2025, shows 189 homes have fewer than 10% of residents vaccinated against the virus - or about 7% of all homes.
In the week to 24 July 2025, there were 14 deaths from COVID-19 - nearly 180 aged care residents have died from the virus since the start of June, the official start of winter.
In the week to 24 July, there were more than 1,000 COVID-19 cases in residential aged care among staff and residents, impacting 181 homes across the country.
The vaccination levels is an improvement on the 500 homes with rates lower than 10%, which The Weekly SOURCE reported in April.
In April, the Chief Clinical Advisor of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, Dr Mandy Callery, issued a Clinical Alert about "poor" and "persistently low" COVID-19 vaccination rates in residential aged care, warning that homes should vaccinate residents in preparation for winter.
Earlier this month, the Head of General Practice at UNSW Sydney and RACGP Specific Interests Cancer and Palliative Care Chair Associate Professor Joel Rhee said COVID-19 is more deadly than flu and RSV, and is especially hazardous in residential aged care.
