How the fourth jab will help you fight Covid

Just one day after it was charged with multiple safety breaches, St Basil’s aged care home is battling a coronavirus outbreak.

A Fawkner aged care home is battling a coronavirus outbreak, just one day after it was charged with multiple safety breaches.

On Monday, St Basil’s Homes for the Aged was slapped with a raft of charges over a deadly outbreak in 2020, which saw 45 residents die from coronavirus complications.

WorkSafe Victoria accused the facility of breaching nine Occupational Health and Safety Act offences after a worker tested positive to coronavirus in July.

It’s alleged that after being notified by the worker of the positive test, St Basil’s failed to require workers to wear personal protective equipment and train workers on how to safely put on and take off PPE.

Biological waste is disposed of at St Basil's Aged Care at Fawkner. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

On Tuesday, The Department of Health and Aged Care confirmed 14 residents and one staff member recently tested positive for coronavirus. The outbreak was declared on 2 July.

“St Basil’s Home for the Aged is currently experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak and is being provided with a range of Commonwealth supports including an onsite infection prevention and control (IPC) assessment from a Clinical First Responder engaged by a contracted third party,” a spokesperson said.

“Additional PPE can be requested from the National Medical Stockpile if current supplies are exhausted and commercial suppliers are unavailable, noting the Department of Health and Aged Care provided all residential aged care facilities with a supply of PPE in preparation for winter.”

It’s understood 94 residents and 94 staff tested positive for coronavirus during the 2020 outbreak at the Fawkner facility.

The WorkSafe charges relating to that outbreak are due to be heard at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on August 1.

It comes as Australia’s top doctors consider rolling out a fourth Covid vaccination as some experts claim the dose may only benefit the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.

Infectious diseases expert Peter Collignon said the virus was spreading at a high rate.

“The reason cases are going up is due to the new strains of BA. 4 and BA. 5 and the fact it’s winter,” he said.

“It’s spreading around a lot but we need to look at the number of deaths and hospitalisations.”

Mr Collignon expected infections to peak over the next four to six weeks after Victoria recorded 8740 new cases, 16 deaths and 543 hospitalisations on Tuesday.

In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton said the BA.4/BA.5 sub-lineages are now the most detected strain in clinical genomic samples, rising to 50.3% in the two weeks prior to 20 June.

The sub-lineages were first identified in catchments in April and have risen from under five per cent in late May to an average of 43.5 per cent across all Victorian wastewater catchments by 27 June.

It comes just one day after the sub-lineages were recognised as the most common coronavirus strain in Melbourne and Geelong.

“The Department of Health anticipates a further increase in cases - including reinfections - and hospital admissions and deaths in the coming weeks due to BA.4/BA.5,” Professor Sutton said.

“This is because the strain has a greater ability than BA.2 to evade immunity provided by vaccination and earlier COVID-19 infection.

“The Department strongly encourages Victorians to remain up to date with their vaccines, in particular people eligible for third and fourth doses, and to stay home if unwell and test for COVID-19.”

Face masks are also strongly recommended in some indoor settings, including shared physical spaces with those who are vulnerable to Covid

Victoria recorded 8,740 new cases of Covid, and 16 deaths on Tuesday.

What does a fourth dose mean for you?

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation will discuss expanding the fourth-dose rollout to include those aged under 65 when it meets on Tuesday.

In May, ATAGI expanded the fourth-dose eligibility to include those who are immunocompromised regardless of their age.

Premier Daniel Andrews said there was “some urgency” to provide a fourth dose.

“ATAGI has a rather challenging job of balancing up pressure and benefit that comes from a fourth dose now or waiting for something that might have a greater degree of protection against various sub areas,” he said

“That’s not an easy decision to make but I’m very confident that ATAGI takes these matters very seriously.

“The point (has) been made to me by people who are providing care – actual nurses as well as hospital management – that there is a need to move with some urgency to provide a fourth dose particularly to health workers.

“And if that prevents even a handful of outbreaks in our hospitals then that’d be a good thing.”

Infectious diseases physician Paul Griffin said the fourth dose should be made available to anyone over the ages of 18.

“We have more infectious sub-variants where our vaccine protection is waning,” he said.

“I think particularly as we go through what looks to be a very significant wave of transmission, increasing access to that fourth dose would make sense.”

Mr Collignon said the fourth jab would “make a difference” to the elderly and people with poor immune systems.

“The older you are, the more doses you need,” he said.

“Most adults need two doses and some sort of booster for their immune system.”

Mr Collignon said there wasn’t enough evidence to suggest a fourth jab would benefit people in their 30s or 40s.

“We need to concentrate on the people who are older,” he said.

“For people over the age of 80, it’s likely to decrease their chance of dying or getting unwell.”

Should face masks be mandatory?

The state government have ruled out the reintroduction of mask mandates despite the growing number of Covid cases in Victoria.

Deakin University Chair in Epidemiology Professor Catherine Bennett said masks should be worn indoors under some circumstances.

“I think masks should be worn in doors if close to others from outside your home as it can be the difference between an exposure turning into an infecting dose for you, or for you passing the virus on unknowingly to someone else,” she said.

“They are already not being worn often enough in places with mandates still in place, so mandating isn’t the answer either.

“Getting good detailed information about infection risk the best ways to manage and reduce risk is what needs to be out there.”

Mr Collignon said masks shouldn’t be mandated even though they decrease infections by 15 to 20 per cent.

“That’s not to say we shouldn’t promote masks,” he said.

“What we should promote is not being in crowded venues.”

The Department of Health said it strongly recommends wearing masks in shared indoor settings if physically distance could not be obtained.

“Face masks are still required for everyone aged eight and above in some locations, including on public transport, rideshares and taxis, and in sensitive settings such as hospitals and care facilities,” it said.

“They are also required by household contacts in quarantine who meet the criteria for leaving home.”

Originally published as How the fourth jab will help you fight Covid