Coronavirus: aged-care resident fifth to die of virus

A fifth resident of a western Sydney nursing home has died after being infected with COVID-19.

Anglicares Newmarch House in Western Sydney says said it is short-staffed and struggling to cope with the outbreak, which has killed five resident­s in one week. Picture: AAP

A fifth resident of a western Sydney nursing home has died after being infected with COVID-19, in the state’s second-biggest outbreak of the deadly pathogen.

Anglicare Sydney revealed that a 96-year-old woman with multiple­ health issues died at Newmarch House, in Caddens, on Friday morning.

Almost a third of the 100 residents at Newmarch House have been infected with the virus, while 12 staff have tested positive and 55 other staff are in home isolation.

The outbreak began after an aged-care employee worked at the home for six consecutive days, unaware­ that her “scratchy throat” was a sign she had coronavirus.

In recent days the nursing home has said it is short-staffed and struggling to cope with the outbreak, which has killed five resident­s in one week.

On Thursday, Anglicare and NSW Health representatives organise­d a virtual meeting with relatives of the residents, who this week spent two afternoons rallying outside Newmarch House calling for action against the home’s “horrendous” conditions.

Some have claimed their relatives have missed meals and are confined to their rooms during lockdown and are banned from having­ visitors. Others have accus­ed Anglicare of moving too slowly to prevent the spread of the virus and manage the deteriorating conditions inside the home.

A statement released by Anglicare on Friday said the facility had a full team of healthcare workers to care for its residents.

In Melbourne, a coronavirus outbreak at a psychiatric clinic owned by Ramsay Health Care has left 14 people infected and one of the centre’s patients in intensive care. The facility, in Albert Park, has been put in lockdown and contact tracing is under way to limit further spread. Five patients have been infected with COVID-19, with three transferred to hospital, along with five staff and four others, Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said on Friday.