About 1,000 facilities—nearly 40% of the total—had an outbreak.
Aged care residents are also disproportionately dying of COVID. Those in nursing homes account for nearly 30% of the 11,000 deaths from COVID in Australia throughout the pandemic.
Why is this happening?
Age is a major risk factor for COVID. People aged 70 and over make up 85% of all reported COVID deaths.
People in residential care are the most frail and at risk. Aged care residents make up around 40% of the deaths of older Australians, but only about 5% of the population aged 65 and over live in residential care.
We've long known how to reduce the spread of COVID and unnecessary deaths. Effective responses throughout the aged care sector include:
- all residents and staff being fully vaccinated
- appropriate availability of personal protective equipment and rapid antigen tests (RATs)
