Cases now falling among staff and residents but nurses union says preparation for next wave should start immediately
The number of active Covid cases in the aged care workforce doubled in a single month in July, placing a huge burden on an already overstretched workforce.
A further 1,162 cases were recorded among staff in Victoria, while 987 and 478 staff were recorded as cases in South Australia and Western Australia respectively.The data also shows a continued high number of resident deaths. In the week to 5 August, there were 165 new deaths reported by aged care providers. The week prior, the number of deaths was 176, the worst since the January Omicron wave. The weekly average since April has been 90 deaths.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation federal secretary, Annie Butler, said the current surge workforce – provided by the Australian Defence Force and private contractors – was not enough to plug the gaps. “I think every outbreak we just see a situation where again the chronic understaffing we’ve got in aged care gets seriously exacerbated by people being off with Covid,” she said.
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