Aged care COVID-19 outbreaks growing

COVID-19 outbreaks in aged care facilities continue to grow, with providers suggesting more than half will soon be impacted.

Data released late last week showed there were more than 7000 active cases among residents, spread across about 1100 facilities.

Aged and Community Services Australia chief executive Paul Sadler said that number was only rising.

"I believe there is now a risk we will have over half of all the aged care homes in Australia with outbreaks," he told the ABC.

"That number is likely to continue to increase."

With about three-in-four residents having received a vaccine booster injection as the Omicron variant sweeps the nation, Australian Health Services Research Institute's Professor Kathy Eagar said the federal government's planning had been "completely incompetent".

"Forty per cent of all homes in Australia have an outbreak of COVID. That is really appalling," she said.

"Every family should be really concerned about what's happening in aged care"

But a representative for Health and Aged Care Minister Greg Hunt said the government had delivered 5.6 million RATs to aged care facilities since August, along with PPE to cover 60,000 shifts.

"Like the rest of the community and what occurred in previous waves of the pandemic, when there are increased cases in the population, they will be reflected in the cases in aged care," the official said.

"Aged care facilities have been implementing infection control and it is encouraging that despite the increase in cases, there has not been the same level of increase in illness or loss of life, with most facilities indicating that the cases have been more mild at this stage."

The official said residents at all aged care facilities would be offered boosters by the end of the month, with ATAGI having reduced the gap between doses.

Speaking at an aged care facility, Labor leader Anthony Albanese said the government did not adequately prepare the sector for the surge of cases.

"People in aged care are really suffering," he said.

"When people saw Scott Morrison there on TV being flippant saying, 'We're living with COVID, we're taking wickets with the virus', they were entitled to be quite angry and frustrated at the failure of this government to put in place the mechanisms that were required.

"Scott Morrison was so determined everything would be back to normal by Christmas. It just didn't reflect the health advice, it didn't reflect the advice from operators."

Mr Albanese said the lack of available rapid antigen tests was leaving elderly people isolated from families and care workers.

"We need to lift the entire sector up so our elderly get the respect in their later years and the dignity they deserve," he said.

Meanwhile, a recently released election statement from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners identified improving support for groups including aged care residents as a priority.

One of five initiatives for "improved patient-centred care", the RACGP is calling for "improved support for continuous and preventive care for vulnerable Australians, particularly for aged care, mental health, and disability".