Five more residents who had tested positive for COVID-19 have passed away at the home in Kingswood in western Sydney – including an 89-year-old woman on Monday night. 

Four residents had passed away in the 20 hours since 8pm on Monday night. 

The deaths take the number of deaths at the home to 11 – past BaptistCare’s Dorothy Henderson Lodge, which lost six of its residents to COVID-19. 

“This is a tragic time not only for the families who have lost their loved ones but for other residents and families. It is also taking a deep toll on our staff who cared for and knew these residents and families so well,” Anglicare said in a statement. 

The operator reconfirmed that on the best advice available, it will be some weeks before the home is clear of the virus.  

Indicating the speed in which events can unfold, Anglicare notes that the first infection was identified on 11 April. Today, 18 days later, 11 residents have died, 23 residents and 20 staff have tested positive and 66 staff are all at home in self-isolation. 

They say NSW Health has provided the support of its Nepean Blue Mountains Local Area Health Network to the home as well as an Infectious Diseases Specialist to ensure residents receive the best medical care possible. 

Anglicare had struggled to meet its staffing needs at the home last week, only announcing on Friday that it finally had the resources it needed to support residents at the home despite the Government’s $445 million COVID-19 funding for the sector including cash for a ‘surge’ workforce.