There have been 59 new COVID-19 outbreaks in residential aged care, seven further resident deaths, and 645 new resident cases reported to the Department of Health and Aged Care in the last week.
Resident cases were up 38% over the week, in line with the increase in deaths.
There were 123 aged care homes with outbreaks as of 21 September, with 59 homes reporting new outbreaks during the week, while 39 homes closed outbreaks.
Vic has the highest number of homes with outbreaks – 45 homes – while NSW has 39, SA has 19, and QLD has 10.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recommended on 1 September 2023 that aged care residents who have not received a booster dose in 2023 should do so.
As of 20 September, 95,808 (56.1%) aged care residents had received a booster dose in the last six months – only 750 residents received a booster dose in the last week.
In September, the eligibility for aged care residents to receive a booster shot expanded to include residents who have had COVID-19 in the last six months, meaning there has been a decrease in the reported percentage of residents who have received their 2023 booster as the pool of eligible residents is larger.
The SOURCE: COVID-19 remains a heavy burden on aged care. Infection control, testing, reporting, and outbreak management all continue, and are additional responsibilities for aged care staff – this is likely to remain the case for years.
