Wave of COVID-19 outbreaks in Gold Coast residential aged care facilities after easing travel restrictions into Queensland

Abstract

Objective: This paper describes outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Gold Coast residential aged care facilities (RACFs), in the two months following the easing of travel restrictions at Queensland's domestic border on 13 December 2021. Methods: This audit reviewed all RACF COVID-19 outbreaks notified to the Gold Coast Public Health Unit between 13 December 2021 and 12 February 2022. An outbreak was defined by the Communicable Diseases Network Australia guidelines current at the time. Results: There were 60 COVID-19 outbreaks across 57 RACFs during this period. In 44 outbreaks (73.3%), a staff member was identified as the primary or co-primary case. Transmission amongst residents occurred in 48 outbreaks (80.0%). The attack rates in staff and residents were 17.0% (n = 1,060) and 11.7% (n = 645) respectively. A higher number of males were hospitalised (n = 39: 57.4%) or died (n = 28: 66.7%) than were females (n = 29: 42.6%; n = 14: 33.3% respectively). Most resident cases (n = 565: 87.6%) had received two or more doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. In resident cases who were under-vaccinated (n = 76), twenty (26.3%) required hospitalisation and nine (11.8%) died. In resident cases who received two doses of vaccine (n = 484), forty-three (8.9%) were hospitalised and 27 (5.8%) died. In resident cases who had received three doses (n = 80), four (5.0%) were hospitalised and five (6.3%) died. Conclusions: COVID-19 caused significant morbidity and mortality in Gold Coast RACFs following the easing of border restrictions. Higher rates of hospitalisation and death occurred in males than in females, and in under-vaccinated resident cases than in those vaccinated with at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Implications for public health: These data support the need for up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination of residents in RACFs, continued surveillance and timely and appropriate implementation of public health guidelines to manage COVID-19 outbreaks in RACFs.