The last time we had the virus in aged care
over 800 people died and we were in lockdown for 112 days.
Are we doomed?
https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/victoria-records-5-new-cases-on-s...State leaders are ‘extremely concerned’ about a new mystery case of Covid-19.
One of Victoria’s five new infections is a worker in an
aged care facility in Melbourne’s west, health officials revealed on Sunday.
Health authorities are now scrambling to determine how the
female health care worker at Arcare Maidstone, who lives in Altona, caught the virus.
She was asymptomatic and wore a mask when she worked shifts on Wednesday and Thursday at the aged care home.
“The aged care positive case is an extreme concern to us,” testing commander Jeroen Weimar told reporters on Sunday.
“It is our most vulnerable and sensitive setting.”
Acting Premier James Merlino on Sunday said the worker got a test as soon as she showed symptoms.
“I want to thank the worker for doing the right thing and getting tested immediately upon getting symptoms,” he said.
The worker had also received the first dose of the vaccine, and more than half of the residents have been vaccinated.
Out of the 76 residents at the centre, 53 had consented to the coronavirus vaccine, Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Sunday.
He urged people in aged care or their families to consent to receiving the jab.
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“It can save your life,” Mr Hunt told reporters.
However only a third of aged care workers at the centre had received their vaccine.
The aged care centre has gone into strict lockdown with residents confined to their rooms amid fears the virus may spread.Contact tracing is underway to determine how the worker caught the virus.
“This is the first mystery case we have seen in this particular outbreak,” coronavirus testing commander Mr Weimar said.
“We have identified the infectious period as potentially being Wednesday and Thursday of this week, the 26 and 27 of May, and of course we have now put in place our full response.
“We are doing on-site testing, of course.”
Victoria recorded five new local cases of Covid-19 on the third day of the state’s lockdown, including the aged care staffer.