Residential aged care facility COVID-19 outbreaks and magnitude of spread among residents: observations from a Victorian residential in-reach service.

2021-01

Viray, Paul

Low, Zi Yi

Sinnappu, Rabindra

Harvey, Penelope A

Brown, Sandra

COVID-19

outbreak

residential aged care facility

Journal Article

0000-0002-8238-4786

10.1111/imj.15143

There is a paucity of Australian literature exploring the spread of COVID-19 among residents living in residential aged care facilities (RACF). In this case series of COVID-19 outbreaks in six RACF, we collected data on the cumulative proportion of residents who tested positive for COVID-19 within 21 days of the index case being identified. We describe the observations of a Residential In-Reach service within these six RACF and found that rapid cohorting strategies, personal protective equipment availability and adequacy of use, embedded infection control staff, and adequate outbreak preparedness plans may have influenced the differences observed between RACF in the containment and minimisation of the spread of COVID-19 amongst residents.

link

Internal Medicine Journal 2021; 51(1): 99-101

Internal Medicine Journal