With the aged care death toll now well over 500, Aged Care Services Minister Richard Colbeck remains under pressure over the handling of outbreaks in aged care facilities. Covid19 agedcare
Coronavirus deaths among elderly Australians and aged care residents will continue to rise in the coming weeks, the country’s Chief Medical Officer has warned, and fourth doses are being considered to help combat an expected winter wave of COVID-19 and influenza.
“There will be more deaths in Australia,” he told reporters on Thursday. “I do expect deaths in aged care and elsewhere in the community over the next few weeks.” Professor Kelly said Australia was “definitely past the peak” of the Omicron outbreak but warned it would not be the last wave of the variant or the coronavirus.Elderly Australians were at a similar risk of dying from flu, he said, and with that virus now circulating in the northern hemisphere, the country was likely to face a joint flu and COVID-19 season.
“We are seeing higher rates of take-up of boosters in aged care than the national average so far. But we want to continue to push it, and that’s why we’ll go back [to each facility with boosters].”