With residents in aged care facilities making up the vast majority of overall deaths from COVID-19, is it time that we turned our attention to focus more on how we can stop the virus killing our elders?
The peak body for non-profit aged care providers Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) has congratulated the Queensland Government for adopting procedures that facilitate the transfer to hospital of residents diagnosed with coronavirus in aged care and urged all states to follow Queensland’s lead.
The Royal Commission heard yesterday that NSW authorities had not transferred Covid-19 positive aged care residents to hospitals because they wanted to avoid setting a precedent.
ACSA CEO Patricia Sparrow said it’s not about precedent, it’s about saving people’s lives. ‘Immediate transfer to hospital of the first people in residential care diagnosed with Covid-19, is the best possible protection measure against the terrible tragedy we are seeing unfold in Victoria.
Hospitals the best chance to contain the virus
‘Transfer to hospital provides the best treatment for individuals and the best chance to contain the spread of the virus in an aged care home as the Royal Commission heard yesterday based on the experience of Dorothy Henderson Lodge.
‘Queensland has now joined South Australia in adopting this best practise principle putting it in a much better position to prevent spread of the virus within an aged care home.
‘Community transmission is the enemy of aged care. Once a single case gets into a facility it can be impossible to contain. This is because aged care homes are not hospitals. They aren’t staffed like hospitals. They are not funded like hospitals. They are homes.
‘It’s time that all states and territories joined South Australia and Queensland in adopting this best possible scenario for protecting older people in aged care and containing outbreaks,’ said Ms Sparrow.
Recent stories, information and updates regarding COVID-19
The Northern NSW Local Health District, Lynne Weir, today say that two new cases of COVID-19 have been reported for the District to 8pm, 23 October. Northern NSW Local Health District, Acting Chief Executive, Lynne Weir, says there were five new cases of COVID-19 reported for the District to 8pm last night, 21 October. Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) is urging people to continue coming forward for testing and vaccination after two further COVID-19 cases were reported in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, October 14. Library branches at Tweed Heads and Murwillumbah will reopen for limited hours from today, after Tweed Shire Council agreed to fund the additional cost of administering the NSW Government’s latest public health order. Northern NSW Local Health District has been notified of new venues of concern associated
with confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region.
Update 14 October:
Ballina Coast High School will reopen for staff and students on Thursday, 14 October 2021, after a member/s of the school community tested positive to COVID-19.
‘Students and staff identified as close contacts have been notified and asked to self-isolate for the required period and follow the NSW... Residents in regional areas and local government area representatives, are already straining under what appears to be the Sydney centricity of the NSW Roadmap All Richmond Tweed Regional Library branches and the Mobile Library will be offering free Click & Collect and online services only from today until December 1. October 11 – Northern NSW Local Health District has been notified of new venues of concern associated
with confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region.
Today the NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet hosted a press conference at Watson’s Pub in Sydney's Moore Park.
The theme of today's conference was certainly more about business and beer than health and a line-up of business-orientated speakers was clearly emphasising...COVID update: two new cases in Lismore and fragments in Byron’s...
COVID-19 update: 5 new cases in the NNSWLHD
Hundreds queue to have COVID test and two new cases in...
Outcry over closure sees two Tweed Council libraries reopen their doors
Lismore school closed and COVID venues of concern and –...
New positive COVID-19 case at Ballina Coast High School
Lismore Councillors vote to seek urgent changes to the NSW Government...
Richmond Tweed libraries only open for Click & Collect until December
COVID Venues of Concern update October 11
The say ‘beer’ a lot press conference on NSW opening up
I just did the math for the average age of death by covid-19 in males, based on the Australian Goverment web sight[ https://www.health.gov.au/resources/covid-19-deaths-by-age-group-and-sex%5D. The average age is 80.73. The average life expectancy for a male Australian in 2018,[https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/life-expectancy-death/deaths-in-australia/contents/age-at-death], was 78. Facts are facts. Even with covid we are still living longer.
Sick people caught up in a pandemic that can last
for months & possibly years should be in hospital
& not left to aged careers who are Not fully trained
in life-&-death situations. Believe it. Age, either
way can only benefit if professionals do what they
do best.