Five residents at a Sydney aged care home test positive to Covid, two-thirds of staff unvaccinated

Two more residents at an aged care home in Sydney’s northwest have tested positive to Covid as fury grows about why unvaccinated staff were allowed to work there.

There have now been five confirmed cases at the home, according to Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant.

A letter was sent out by Summit Care Baulkham Hills chief operating officer Michelle Sloane on Sunday evening that said all staff and residents had been tested and 117 results had so far come through.

“We now have confirmation that two further residents have tested positive to Covid-19,” she said in the letter.

“They are resting comfortably and not displaying any symptoms.”

They will be transferred to Westmead Hospital as a precautionary measure.

She said two of the initial three residents who tested positive were also at Westmead and symptomatic. Sloane lauded staff for still turning up to work despite the risk.

At a press conference on Sunday, Sloane revealed that only one third of staff at the facility have been vaccinated.

Over the weekend it was announced that three residents from the aged care home had tested positive for the virus.

The nursing home went into “full lockdown” on Friday after at least two staff members worked at the facility while unknowingly infectious.

Between 70 and 75 per cent of staff are now in isolation, with swabs taken on 226 residents and staff on Saturday.

One of the staff members was unvaccinated and the other’s status was “unclear”, Sloane said.

Among the three infected patients are a man and a woman in their 80s and a man in his 90s, all of whom are vaccinated. Two have been taken to hospital as a precaution.

A daughter of one of the Covid-positive residents, Kathie Melocco, took to social media to share her anger at the handling of the situation inside the facility.

She is furious at reports from the facility that the residents are in “good spirits”, saying that is far from the truth.

“What nonsense,” she wrote.

“My father is terrified and is positive. Staff have been told to not talk to residents to minimise interaction. Please remember they are human and are frightened. Bring in social workers.”

Earlier, NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro told Sunrise that officials were “very concerned” about the vulnerable people in the facility and took aim at the federal government for its vaccination rollout.

“It’s something that is alarming and, yes, the federal government set a timeline of the middle of September for workers to be vaccinated,” he said

“I think that what we have seen overnight and yesterday, it’s a reminder that this class of work, these frontline workers, must have priority, and I would encourage those aged care facilities to get out and get vaccinations up before September.”

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