Vic virus raises concern about aged care – Education – Australian Associated Press

Melbourne’s second wave of coronavirus, sending the city into lockdown, has raised concerns about aged care homes and services across the nation.
Aged and Community Services Australia on Friday called for a renewed effort to protect residents and workers at the centres following the spike of cases in Victoria.
Seven of Victoria’s 165 new cases on Thursday were staff members at aged care facilities across Melbourne.
ACSA warned that increased protection measures to visit residents should be put in place soon and are demanding government help to supply PPE and additional staff.
“We can’t get blasé about aged care because older people are one of the most vulnerable groups for COVID19,” ACSA chief executive Patricia Sparrow said in a statement.
Meanwhile, residents in a public housing tower in Melbourne will be stuck inside for another nine days amid fears a quarter of them could have coronavirus.
People living at 33 Alfred Street in North Melbourne will have to quarantine for 14 days after at least 53 people in their building tested positive.
The tower has about a third of the 158 positive cases across the nine towers put into hard lockdown on Saturday.
There are about 3000 residents in the towers, with 2515 tests done, as children were tested only if a parent returned a positive test.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton expects there will be more cases linked to the towers, given some people are yet to develop symptoms.
There were no cases of coronavirus at the Pampas Street and Melrose Street towers while six other towers had low numbers.
Those in the towers with none to few cases will join the rest of Melbourne in stay-at-home restrictions for six weeks.
Under these rules, people can leave home to get food, exercise, provide or receive care, work or study if they cannot do so from home.
Victoria recorded its second-highest daily total cases of coronavirus at 165 on Thursday, bringing the state’s overall tally to 3098.
Just 30 of the state’s new cases are linked to known outbreaks, with 135 under investigation.

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