Emergency teams battle Australia's worst virus outbreak in aged homes

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Australia has sent defence and emergency medical teams, usually deployed to disaster zones, to aged care homes in the city of Melbourne to help contain the country's worst outbreak of the coronavirus.

Another hotspot, in inner-city Sydney, forced a senior adviser to Prime Minister Scott Morrison into self-isolation, but the prime minister has been cleared to continue working.

But a spike in community transmission in the most populous southeastern states of Victoria and New South Wales has alarmed health officials just as the economy was reopening. Aged care homes are at the centre of Victoria's outbreak, with 804 active Covid-19 cases linked to the homes, including workers, state Premier Daniel Andrews said.

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt said while infections in aged care made up only 7% of new cases in Victoria since July 1, all efforts were focused on reining in those outbreaks as the elderly are the"most vulnerable". Morrison called the situation in 13 Victorian aged care facilities"very distressing". The outbreaks have largely been due to transmission from workers at the homes, many of whom might not have been aware they were carrying the virus.

 

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