one coronavirus case total lockdown australias

2 METHODS 2.1 Data collection and data linkage 12 We aimed to estimate national COVID-19 outbreaks and cases in ACFs in Australia using open-source data during the first wave of COVID-19 in Australia. Despite the reporting of multiple COVID-19 outbreaks in ACFs nationwide, the burden of COVID-19 on Australian aged-care has not been identified. 11 Studies on this high-risk population is lacking, and there was previously no national reporting of data of ACF cases of COVID-19. Not all aged-care workers (ACWs) are required to be registered nurses with skilled health training and a very small percentage are qualified nurses. The significant levels of close-contact physical care 5 combined with a less trained and prepared workforce 10 who often face more difficulty accessing personal protective equipment (PPE), create difficulties in infection control measures. 4, 6, 7ĪCFs provide unique challenges when implementing infection control methods, especially considering respiratory outbreaks. 9 A wide variation in the proportion of residents and staff being infected and in the spread of the disease between different ACFs has been reported. 4, 6, 7 The presence of comorbidities in older age patients are not only associated with increased risk of mortality from COVID-19 8 but the environment in aged-care facilities (ACFs), where social distancing is difficult due to shared communal areas and close-contact living, presents major barriers to infection control as well, contributing to the overall burden in these settings. 3- 5 Case fatality rates among nursing home residents have been reported to be as high as 33%.

1 Globally, high mortality rates have occurred in older patients, 1, 2 and aged-care has been a setting of serious outbreaks of COVID-19. Prompt isolation and quarantine as soon as a case is confirmed within a facility is essential.Īs of October 29, 2021, over 246 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, causing more than 4.98 million deaths. This high-risk population requires additional prevention and control measures, such as routine testing of all staff and patients regardless of symptoms. A total of 28 deaths associated within ACFs were reported, accounting for 54.9% of total deaths in New South Wales and 26.9% of total deaths in Australia. In over 60% of cases identified in ACFs, the source of infection in the index case was unknown. Analysis on the resident risk found that the COVID-19 risk is 1.27 times higher (unadjusted RR 1.27 95% confidence interval 1.00 to1.61 P = 0.047) as compared with the risk of infection in the general population. ResultsĪ total of 14 ACFs with COVID-19 cases were recorded by June 2020 nationwide, with a high case fatality rate (CFR) of 50% ( n = 34) and 100% ( n = 3) seen in two ACFs. Rate ratios (RR) were used to predict risk of infection in ACW and aged-care residents, and were calculated independently, by comparing overall cases to ACW and aged-care residents' cases. MethodsĪ line list of publicly available aged-care related COVID-19 reported cases from January 25 to Jwas created and was enhanced by matching data extracted from media reports of aged-care related COVID-19 relevant outbreaks and reports. We aimed to estimate the burden of aged-care worker (ACW) infections and outbreaks of COVID-19 in Australian aged-care. Research on this highly vulnerable setting is lacking and there was no national reporting data of COVID-19 cases in ACFs in Australia early in the pandemic. Aged-care facilities (ACF’s) provide unique challenges when implementing infection control methods for respiratory outbreaks such as COVID-19.

One coronavirus case total lockdown australias