Nursing homes: the titanic of cruise ships – will residential aged care facilities survive the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic?

Crotty, Frances; Watson, Rosie; Lim, Wen Kwang

Australians living in residential aged care facilities (RACF) are extremely vulnerable to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). Residents are both more at risk of contracting the virus and more at risk of dying because of it. Internationally RACF have been the epicentre of the pandemic. Some estimates suggest more than half of all COVID‐19 deaths have been residents of aged care facilities. RACF outbreaks overseas have contributed significantly to community transmission. There is much we can learn from overseas experiences about how to prevent and manage COVID‐19 outbreaks in Australian RACF. International approaches have prioritised protecting acute health services while preventing and preparing for outbreaks within RACF has received less attention. We suggest this is now not the right approach, as without significant support, an outbreak in an RACF is likely to lead to widespread transmission and death both in RACF and the community.