This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2020/jul/29/coronavirus-australia-victoria-aged-care-outbreak-melbourne-sydney-nsw-qld-andrews-berejiklian-morrison-latest-updates
The article has changed 25 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Coronavirus Australia live: Victoria's aged care system in crisis as toll mounts – latest updates | Coronavirus Australia live: Victoria's aged care system in crisis as toll mounts – latest updates |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Non-urgent elective surgery cancelled, federal and state government intervene in sector as almost 20% of Victorian aged care facilities affected. Follow live | Non-urgent elective surgery cancelled, federal and state government intervene in sector as almost 20% of Victorian aged care facilities affected. Follow live |
| NSW Liberal senator Hollie Hughes says she has been told to monitor herself for symptoms of Covid-19 after dining at the Thai Rock restaurant in Potts Point last week. | |
| Hughes shared a letter she received from NSW Health, which said she was classified as a casual contact because she had been at the restaurant for less than two hours. If she had been there for more than two hours, she would have been considered a close contact and told to self-isolate and get tested, regardless of symptoms. | |
| Australia signed a 10-year agreement with the United States on defence cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and agreed to the potential expansion of the US Marine program in Darwin, at the Ausmin meeting in Washington DC overnight. | |
| More on this from AAP: | |
| The Australian chief nursing and midwifery officer, Alison McMillan, is leading the aged care response in Victoria. She spent some time in St Basil’s home for the aged in Fawkner managing the response there last week, and acknowledged there were “some occasions where care wasn’t as good as we would want to see”. | |
| McMillian told Radio National she had put a “very, very senior nurse into there to guide the staff there and care for the remaining patients” who are still in St Basil’s and have not been moved to hospital. | |
| She said that aged care home underwent a particular crisis last week because all of its staff had to self-quarantine as close contacts, meaning a whole new team had to be brought in. | |
| McMillan said she had “some considerable concerns” about the conditions in St Basil’s, which have been criticised by the family members of residents, who say their loved ones were not being fed or changed last week and that staff were leaving PPE in the rooms of Covid-19 positive patients. She said: | |
| She said they had set up a “buddy system” so aged care workers monitored each other’s compliance to wearing PPE. But she added that wearing full PPE all day was complicated and uncomfortable, and not something aged care staff – or even most medical staff – were used to. | |
| McMillan said she did not agree that St Basil’s or other homes were not fit places for older people to be. | |
| McMillan said she would not comment on the comment by the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, to say he would not want his mother in some of these places. | |
| She said she was “eternally grateful for what I have seen so far” in hospital nurses and doctors offering to help work in aged care facilities. | |
| Among those who are self-isolating in connection to the Potts Point coronavirus cluster in Sydney is one of prime minister Scott Morrison’s senior advisors, Nico Louw. | Among those who are self-isolating in connection to the Potts Point coronavirus cluster in Sydney is one of prime minister Scott Morrison’s senior advisors, Nico Louw. |
| In a deleted instagram post, he said he attended the Apollo Greek restaurant on 25 July. | In a deleted instagram post, he said he attended the Apollo Greek restaurant on 25 July. |
| The PMO confirmed: | The PMO confirmed: |
| More details here: | More details here: |
| For more information on the aged care crisis in Victoria, you can read this explainer by Melbourne bureau chief Melissa Davey. | For more information on the aged care crisis in Victoria, you can read this explainer by Melbourne bureau chief Melissa Davey. |
| Good morning, | Good morning, |
| Nurses from public and private hospitals and medics from the Australian defence force are moving in to private aged care homes across Melbourne to cover for staff who have tested positive for Covid-19 or are isolating as close contacts, with 769 active cases in the aged care sector and four more aged care residents dying yesterday. | Nurses from public and private hospitals and medics from the Australian defence force are moving in to private aged care homes across Melbourne to cover for staff who have tested positive for Covid-19 or are isolating as close contacts, with 769 active cases in the aged care sector and four more aged care residents dying yesterday. |
| The worst-hit homes, like St Basil’s home for the aged in Fawkner, have had all residents moved to hospital, and Victoria has cancelled all non-scheduled, non-urgent elective surgery to free up hospital capacity. The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, said yesterday: | The worst-hit homes, like St Basil’s home for the aged in Fawkner, have had all residents moved to hospital, and Victoria has cancelled all non-scheduled, non-urgent elective surgery to free up hospital capacity. The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, said yesterday: |
| He also said he “would not let my mum be in some of these places,” causing a rift with the federal health minister, Greg Hunt, who said his own father had received excellent care at a private aged care home. | He also said he “would not let my mum be in some of these places,” causing a rift with the federal health minister, Greg Hunt, who said his own father had received excellent care at a private aged care home. |
| The federal government is sending in an Ausmat team – specialist medics that usually manage Australia’s humanitarian response to overseas disasters – and has also put out a call for other states to supply nurses. | The federal government is sending in an Ausmat team – specialist medics that usually manage Australia’s humanitarian response to overseas disasters – and has also put out a call for other states to supply nurses. |
| The Fair Work decision requiring aged care providers to provide paid pandemic leave to casual aged care workers comes into effect from today. | The Fair Work decision requiring aged care providers to provide paid pandemic leave to casual aged care workers comes into effect from today. |
| Meanwhile, pop-up testing clinics have been set up in inner-city suburbs of Sydney after three more cases were linked to the Potts Point cluster. Two of the new cases dined at both the Thai Rock restaurant and the Apollo in Potts Point, and the third case is a staff member of the Apollo. | Meanwhile, pop-up testing clinics have been set up in inner-city suburbs of Sydney after three more cases were linked to the Potts Point cluster. Two of the new cases dined at both the Thai Rock restaurant and the Apollo in Potts Point, and the third case is a staff member of the Apollo. |
| Pop-up clinics have been set up in Surry Hills and Rushcutters Bay Park. | Pop-up clinics have been set up in Surry Hills and Rushcutters Bay Park. |
| Let’s crack on. You can follow me on twitter @callapilla and email me at calla.wahlquist@theguardian.com. | Let’s crack on. You can follow me on twitter @callapilla and email me at calla.wahlquist@theguardian.com. |