ABC News online is reporting that an aged care facility in southern Sydney is now in lockdown for two weeks after a nurse there tested positive for COVID-19.
The employee of Palms Aged Care in Kirrawee returned a positive result on Tuesday night.
There are 65 elderly residents in the facility and all are now in isolation.
Two staff members at an aged care facility in Belrose have also tested positive.
A spokesman for The Palms, Mathew Hafford, said all residents are vaccinated and had been swabbed by Wednesday morning.
More than 30 results are known so far – all of them negative.
A statement on the facility’s website said on NSW Health advice, no visitors or non-essential staff are permitted to enter until further notice.
“Our nursing staff will have the recommended personal protective equipment to allow them to care for our residents while preventing any spread of the infection,” the statement said.
Other staff members at the home considered close contacts of the infected nurse were isolating at home and all have tested negative.
All residents are being treated as close contacts of the positive staff member “out of an abundance of caution” as the situation is assessed, the statement said.
“Staff will be implementing strict infection control measures, and carefully monitoring residents for any symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath.”
Hafford said approximately 80-85 per cent of staff at the facility have been vaccinated, but could not comment as to the vaccination status of the infected worker.
A public health vaccination unit was on site delivering more jabs on Wednesday.
There is no information at present on the two infected Belrose staff.
