An agency nurse who contracted COVID-19 worked in three aged care homes, passing the virus to 19 residents and a colleague at Hardi’s Wyoming Nursing Home in Summer Hill, 7km west of Sydney’s CBD.
All 19 residents who tested positive to COVID-19 have been taken to local hospitals, together with unaffected residents who live on the same floor of the aged care home. The assistant nurse, who also worked at Catholic Healthcare’s St Hedwig Retirement Village in Blacktown, 34km west of Sydney’s CBD, and her colleagues are in isolation.
All close contacts of the staff are in isolation and the Wyoming Nursing Home remains in full lockdown, with testing and deep cleaning undertaken on a daily basis.
More than 80% of the 65 residents and 60 staff had been vaccinated and NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the home had been visited four times by vaccination clinics.
“We expect a further round of vaccinations to be offered to any residents, who have previously declined, be undertaken over the next few days, while we are encouraging all staff to get fully vaccinated,” said a spokesman for Hardi Aged Care.
Separately, Anglicare has been forced to close two aged care homes in Sydney’s south to visitors after two staff members tested positive to COVID-19.
They are Mildred Symons House RAC at Jannali, which houses 122 residents, and Mary Andrews Village at South Hurstville, which has 50 residents. The worker with COVID-19 worked at Mary Andrew Village for three days while infectious.
“On Sunday, August 1, NSW Health was notified that a staff member at Anglicare Mary Andrews Village, Hurstville, had tested positive to COVID-19,” said South Eastern Sydney Local Health District.
“It is understood that the worker was infectious while at work on Wednesday, July 28, Thursday, July 29 and Friday, July 30. The worker has received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.”
The spokeswoman said NSW Health had stepped in to assist Anglicare.
“Residents at the facility have been tested on-site, as directed by NSW Health, and are being managed as close contacts as investigations continue,” she said.
The spokeswoman said NSW Health was notified on Saturday, 31 July, that a staff member at Anglicare’s Mildred Symons House at Jannali had tested positive to COVID-19.
“It is understood that the worker was infectious while at work overnight on Tuesday, July 27,” she said, adding the worker was unvaccinated.
Dr Chant said authorities were working with the Federal Government to ensure that staff stopped moving across multiple facilities. More than 86% of people in residential aged care have now received their first dose of vaccine while 83% are fully vaccinated.