Fears for elderly as four nursing homes in lockdown after tests

MiCare executive director Petra Neeleman said the resident has been tested because of mild symptoms, but the results are yet to be returned.

Ms Neeleman was not sure of the resident's symptoms, but said it could merely be a "sniff, a cough or a dry throat".

"We have to keep everyone safe, and that requires going into lockdown."

She said the resident was isolated in their room, and no guests or families are able to visit during the lockdown. No other staff or residents are being tested.

The lockdown is merely precautionary and it is "unlikely" the resident has the coronavirus, Ms Neeleman said.

An aged care facility in Bundoora was also placed into lockdown on Monday as a precaution after a resident was admitted to hospital with a high temperature before testing negative to COVID-19.

Aged and Community Services Australia chief executive Pat Sparrow said virus scares highlighted that nursing homes "were the new front line" in the the COVID-19 pandemic.

"At the absolute core of this is the need for us to stay vigilant and protect older people," Ms Sparrow said.

"Really, we are the new front line of this. We know that it often can have a terrible outcome when it gets in to aged care homes."

Lynden Age Care declined to comment when contacted by The Age. The aged care home was conducting testing and contact tracing of residents and employees on Tuesday morning.

Angela Raguz, general manager of residential care at HammondCare said on Tuesday morning that the aged care home was treating the elderly resident as a positive case, despite the conflicting tests results, and that the facility remained in lockdown.

Ms Raguz said the first priority was caring for the resident and protecting the 11 other residents in the dementia cottage from infection.

“As residents of this home may live with dementia we are especially mindful of their specific needs in what is a challenging time for all residents and staff," Ms Raguz said.

She said family visits were not believed to be the source of the possible infection.

The home has been temporarily closed to visitors and is following strict infection control procedures, including personal protective equipment.

“We were devastated to learn a resident may have been impacted in this way, and while awaiting final results, we are working closely with the Victorian Health Department to care for all residents in the care home and to contain the infection [if confirmed]," she said.

"We are undergoing extensive testing and contact tracing of all residents, visitors and staff."

To further protect the elderly residents from infection, HammondCare is preparing measures to allow residents to make contact with their loved ones through phone, mail, email and video calls.

“HammondCare is committed to keeping families of residents in our care informed of developments at this difficult time," Ms Raguz said.

"We have appointed a liaison team who will call resident representatives on a daily basis with updates or as needed.

"We will also arrange more complex clinical briefings as requested and plan to offer weekly webinars for families – if required.

"Our plan is that there will be information available to families at any time, day or night."

The resident at the Villa Maria Care Homes facility in Bundoora was sent to hospital on the weekend and returned an inconclusive test result, which the Victorian Health Department treats as a positive test.

A subsequent test on Monday afternoon showed the resident did not have COVID-19 but the Health Department will lock down the facility until the resident returns two more negative tests.

The resident has returned to the care home and is not displaying symptoms of the virus.

All residents who had close contact with the resident are isolating in their rooms and staff who had close contact are being tested and isolating at their homes.

The four virus scares in aged care homes come after an outbreak late last month at Hawthorn Grange, a supported living facility in Melbourne's south-east.

The outbreaks have prompted renewed calls for increased testing in aged care homes, with elderly people at significantly higher risk of death if they become infected.

There have been two other reports of coronavirus infections in aged care homes in Victoria, both in late March.

They involved a staff member at the Assisi Centre in Rosanna and a doctor who visited Carlton's Rathdowne Place.

In NSW, coronavirus-related deaths in aged care homes have accounted for more than one-third of the state’s overall tally.