With the outbreak of COVID-19 in Sydney and his aged care home Whiddon Easton Park in Glenfield, just 19km from the ‘hot spot’ of Fairfield, Whiddon CEO Chris Mamarelis knew he had to act.
“With the escalating COVID-19 situation in Sydney, we wanted to do all that we can to help keep residents, employees and families safe. Whiddon Easton Park is located close to areas of high concern and has a large number of employees and residents,” said Mr Mamarelis.
“We reached out to the supplier, Rapid Global, late last week to discuss options for bring rapid testing to Easton Park as an additional layer of protection while community transmission is high. We were fortunate to be able to secure testing in such a short amount of time, so we could commence this testing as soon as possible.”
The on-the-spot screening tests detects antigens, or proteins, found on the surface of the coronavirus, and will deliver a positive or negative result in 10 minutes.
“The Feedback we have received to date indicates that the initiative has been welcomed by our employees, residents and families. We have been told that including testing as a screening tool, helps to provide reassurance for employees as they come on shift and peace of mind for families whose loved ones are in our care,” said Mr Mamarelis.
In Melbourne, which entered its fifth lockdown yesterday, Abberfield Aged Care Facility in Sandringham, 16km southeast of Melbourne’s CBD, is trialling a 10-minute antigen test for all people entering the facility, such as staff, contractors and visitors, with an ability to detect asymptomatic cases.
Mr Mamarelis said Whiddon supports the Federal Government’s vaccine mandate for all aged care workers to have at least one vaccine dose by 17 September.
“Approximately 90 per cent of residents have been vaccinated across our care homes. So far, around 18 er cent of employees have had the vaccine. At Easton Park, we expect this to increase to around 50% of employees having at least their first dose by the end of this week due to an in-reach clinic being held,” he said.
“Access to the vaccine in our regional locations is limited, which has impacted the vaccine take-up by employees.
“Whiddon has been advocating for in-reach clinics to be implemented across all care homes as we believe that that this is the most effective way for employees to receive the vaccine. We had our first in-reach clinic for employees this week at out Easton Park campus.”
