More than 700 aged care homes across Australia reported fresh Covid outbreaks in the fortnight to 21 January, the majority in New South Wales, with a number of large homes going from zero to more than 100 cases over that period.
Public health researcher Dr Sarah Russell, who is director of Aged Care Matters, said some homes are managing to control the number of cases while others are seeing drastic spikes. In the fortnight from 7 January, 703 care homes recorded new outbreaks and 105 saw a surge in numbers.
“Is this due to the failure of the vaccination team to provide residents with a booster shot? Or poor infection control training, including teaching staff how to don and doff [personal protective equipment]?” Russell asked.
“I also note that many of the most significant surges in case numbers of residents infected with Covid have occurred in large aged care homes, with more than 100 residents infected. Many of these large aged care homes are not designed to cope with an airborne virus.
“For example, in many homes, it is not possible to open windows in residents’ rooms. Without good ventilation, Covid has spread like wildfire in aged care homes.”
Russell’s analysis identified the 10 homes with the highest surge in numbers in the fortnight to 21 January, eight of which are in NSW.
Estia Health Kilbride in Gilead had the highest number of cases and jump in infections, going from zero cases on 7 January to 119 cases on 21 January, and four resident deaths. This was followed by St Sergius Aged Care in Cabramatta, which went from six cases to 113 cases in the same period, and by 21 January had reported eight deaths. Cardinal Stepinac Village was third, going from 16 resident infections to 103 and 10 deaths in a fortnight. All three homes are in NSW.
Since 21 January, six more deaths have occurred in Cardinal Stepinac Village, a spokesman for the home told Guardian Australia. There are 136 residents at the home, which means the majority have been infected.
“There is just no denying this is a serious outbreak,” the spokesperson said.
“The home had their first positive test on Christmas Day, and it seems there has been multiple points of exposure over that Christmas period with people visiting the home, or visiting family and coming back,” he said.
“The other big challenge has been a lot of usual staff have been on annual leave. And because there was so much virus in the community, they’ve been coming back from leave with the virus. There’s been multiple points of exposure, both in terms of residents in the facility and staff.”
There were 73 staff members of Cardinal Stepinac Village with infections as of 21 January. The spokesman did not answer questions about the proportion of residents who had received their booster shot but said vaccination rates were “high”.
The Cardinal Stepinac Village CEO, Emil Perosh, said: “Everyone is deeply affected by the tragedy. First and foremost, our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of our residents who have passed.”
Staff had gone to “extreme lengths, worked around the clock on extended shifts and dealt with a great deal of uncertainty about the scale and nature of the broader community outbreak,” he said.
“I am proud of their dedication to give the best-quality physical and emotional care during what is the most difficult time in our 30-plus-year history. This tragedy highlights the need for additional workforce support from the government in line with the requests of the Australian Aged Care Collaboration.”
He said of the residents who died, “most had serious underlying health conditions and Covid-19 is not considered to be the primary cause of death”.
Aged care homes have had differing policies about visitors and outings during the pandemic. Bans on seeing family have taken a significant toll on resident wellbeing, especially for residents in palliative care, and homes have tried to manage a balance between allowing residents to see loved ones while also trying to prevent outbreaks.
A spokeswoman for Estia Health said there were 154 residents at the Kilbride home, and that a further three residents had died since 21 January.
“After several staff tested positive on our asymptomatic rapid antigen testing program in early January, we initiated our outbreak management plan and notified relevant state and federal authorities,” she said.
“Surveillance testing of residents was conducted on 9 January and identified an outbreak at our Kilbride home. The outbreak has now stabilised with the majority of Covid-positive residents now cleared.”
All staff were fully vaccinated, she said, while more than 95% of residents were also double vaccinated. Booster clinics have been conducted in the home, but the spokeswoman did not respond to a question about how many residents had received the third shot.
St Sergius Aged Care did not respond to a request for comment.
Throughout the pandemic, Russell has been compiling cumulative data about each home with an outbreak, including the number of residents and staff who have tested positive, and resident deaths. Russell said she has done this for families, who have found it difficult to find accurate and consistent information from the federal government.
While the federal government publishes a weekly aged care update, Russell said the report often contained errors and did not provide an overall picture of outbreaks and infections over time.
Guardian Australia has also contacted the office of the federal aged care minister, Richard Colbeck, for comment but did not receive a response.
“There has been poor communication between aged care homes with outbreaks and families,” Russell said. “Staff are so busy, they simply don’t have the time to keep families updated. Families tell me they are grateful that I share the data about the aged care home in which their loved one lives.”
She said of the 163 aged care deaths reported in 2022, 50% has occurred in NSW, 20% in Queensland, 14% in South Australia and 14% in Victoria.
The outbreaks and deaths were having a significant toll on staff, Russell said.
“With families locked out, and many colleagues on furlough, staff’s workload has significantly increased,” Russell said. “Yet they turn up day after day – with some only getting paid $22 per hour. If nothing else, this pandemic has taught us that staff working in an aged care home deserve a significant pay rise.”