‘We don’t know’: Bombshell confession about unvaccinated staff after aged care virus cluster grows

The chief operating officer at an aged care home facing a frightening outbreak of Covid-19 has made a bombshell confession.

The corporate leader of an aged care centre in Sydney’s northwest has confessed she has no idea how many of its staff have been vaccinated against Covid-19 in a bombshell admission.

Summit Care Baulkham Hills chief operating officer Michelle Sloane told the media on Monday that she simply “didn’t know”.

When asked if workers had refused the jab she said it was unclear.

“I’m unsure of (that). That I haven’t spoken to each one individually. There is quite a lot of them,” she said

Her admission comes after two more residents at an aged care home in Sydney’s northwest tested positive to Covid-19 as fury grows about why unvaccinated staff were allowed to work there.

Family are angry that not all staff are vaccinated. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

“In regards to vaccinated staff, I want to say that up until seven days ago we were unable to insist our staff are vaccinated... the government mandated it on June 28,” she said.

“The law had prevented us until then and in fact they were not even obliged to advise us if they had had it.

“In hospitals there are unvaccinated staff, in every kind of business there are unvaccinated staff. If we said to all of our unvaccinated staff, ‘don’t come to work’ then there’d be no one to care (for the elderly).”

A letter was sent out by Ms 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.

BREAKING; Residents and family at SummitCare Baulkham Hills have been told "two further residents have tested positive." pic.twitter.com/ItpdmQPX5q

— Ben Fordham Live (@BenFordhamLive) July 4, 2021

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

They will be transferred to Westmead Hospital as a precautionary measure. Both are women in their 70s, one is fully vaccinated and the other isn’t.

She said two of the initial three residents who tested positive were also at Westmead and symptomatic.

Ms Sloane lauded staff for still turning up to work despite the risk.

But there are fears there could be more positive results to come.

It was revealed over the weekend 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.

A further two residents have tested positive. Picture: Bianca De Marchi / NCA NewsWire

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”, Ms Sloane said.

Among the three infected patients are a man and a woman in their 80s and a man in his 90s, all 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.

This takes the cluster to five. Picture: Bianca De Marchi / NCA NewsWire

She said she was furious at reports from the facility that the residents are in “good spirits”, and claimed 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.”

Health Minister Greg Hunt on Monday said he was aware that all five residents were asymptomatic but had been transferred to hospital. Of those five, Hunt said four were vaccinated.

Since the outbreak, all residents of the aged care facility had been tested twice. Hunt said all but four of the 149 residents of Summit Care had been vaccinated.

The five cases were now on the path to “return and recovery” according to Hunt, who said one resident had already returned home, having now been cleared of the virus.

Hunt went on to defend the federal government’s vaccine rollout, claiming that the summit outbreak was a “very positive example” of the way in which the COVID-19 Aged Care Support Program is helping to protect Australians.

”We’re not immune, but we are well prepared,” he said.

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.

There’s fury over why unvaccinated staff were allowed to work. Picture: Bianca De Marchi / NCA NewsWire

“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.”

Summit Care Baulkham Hills has been contacted for comment.