Department of Health

Federal Department of Health advice for the aged care sector

Federal Department of Health advice for the health sector

Australian Government COVID-19 national data on residential aged care cases and deaths 

Australian Government national COVID data

Alerts

1. Coronavirus health alert (same link is updated regularly)
   
   

Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) 

The AHPPC advises the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council on health protection matters. Read the ANMAC statements. 

$750 disaster leave payment

If you are required to isolate and do not have access to paid leave, you may be eligible for this Federal Government payment.

Media releases

• 22 July 2022 New campaign to promote COVID-19 oral antiviral treatments 
• 19 July 2022 Strengthening our first line of defence against COVID-19 in aged care 
• 22 December 2021 Strengthening support for front line workforces as booster rollout continues
• 12 December 2021 Moderna joins Australia's vaccine booster program and COVID-19 boosters to be available from 5 months 
• 5 December 2021 TGA provisionally approves Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 5 to 11 year-olds 
• 3 December 2021 $540 million to continue and expand Australia's COVID-19 response 
• 8 November 2021 Start of COVID-19 booster vaccination program 
• 5 November Growing and supporting Australian's health system capacity 
• 8 October 2021 Booster shot for severely immunocompromised Australians
• 4 October 2021 Aged care residents to welcome back visitors
• 16 September 2021 Aged care workforce leads the nation in vaccination uptake
• 18 September 2021 First million doses of Moderna arrive from Europe 
• 8 August 2021 Additional COVID-19 treatment for Australia
• 8 August 2021 Mental health clinics to support Australians in lockdown in NSW and VIC
• 6 August 2021 On-site vaccinations for aged care and disability workers
• 4 August 2021 Support for senior Australians as COVID-19 restrictions continue
• 16 July 2021 COVID-19 response further strengthened to protect senior Australians
• 5 July 2021 Major step in COVID-19 vaccine rollout
• 2 July 2021 COVID-19 indemnity scheme to protect health professionals and patients
• 2 July 2021 Support for mandatory vaccination of residential aged care workers
• 15 July 2021 Additional telehealth support for Australians in COVID-19 hotspots
• 27 May 2021 130,000 Additional Vaccines for Victoria
• 22 March 2021 Phase 1B COVID-19 vaccination rollout begins
• 7 March 2021 Second COVID-19 vaccine now in use in Australia
• 8 March 2021 Vaccine rollout to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• 1 March 2021  Find out when it’s your turn with new advertisements to inform Australians about the COVID-19 vaccination rollout
• 26 February 2021 Rural health group providing expert advice on bush vaccine rollout
• 19 February 2021 COVID-19 vaccination ready to roll in rural and remote Australia
• 18 February 2021 Initial towns, suburbs and hubs for COVID-19 vaccine
• 16 February 2021 Ensuring senior Australians are vaccinated against COVID-19
• 14 February 2021 COVID-19 vaccine rollout to support people from all backgrounds in Australia 
• 8 February 2021 First COVID-19 Vaccine – Pfizer – Training Program
• 4 February 2021 COVID-19 vaccine campaign to support culturally and linguistically diverse audiences
• 4 February 2021 Greater access – additional 10 million Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines
• 3 February 2021 COVID-19 vaccine rollout for regional, rural and remote Australians
• 27 January 2021 Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine information campaign begins
• 21 January 2021 Mobilising Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine workforce
• 4 January 2021 $10 million for high potential COVID-19 related clinical trials
• 23 December Thanks to Australia’s rural, regional and remote health workforce
• 17 December Preparing Australians for the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out
• 11 December Australia secures 20 million extra Astra Zeneca vaccines 
• 7 December Boost to nursing greatly strengthens our response to pandemic 
• 22 November $41.7 million boost to commercialise lifesaving medical discoveries
• 20 November New visitation guidelines as aged care moves to COVID-normal
• 10 November COVID-19 support line extended and expanded
• 5 November Australia secures a further 50 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine 
• 1 November How's your head today? campaign launched to support mental health across Australia 
• 1 November Record childhood vaccination rates through COVID-19 
• 28 October Nurses and midwives lead digital health care transformation
• 22 October $13.6 million to support the mental health of new and expectant parents 
• 21 October Steps toward better mental health for young Australians 
• 14 October Caring for mental and physical health during the pandemic 
• 14 October Grief and trauma support for Australia's aged care sector 
• 8 October Australian Government finalises University of Queensland-CSL COVID-19 vaccine agreement 
• 8 October A stronger aged care system with a focus on quality care 
• 6 October Budget 2020-21: Record health and aged care investment under Australia's COVID-19 pandemic plan 
• 1 October Government welcomes aged care royal commission report recommendations 
• 30 September Additional protection for aged care sector 
• 31 August Additional funding to reinforce Australia's aged care sector
• 21 August Reinforcement of Australia's aged care sector
• 20 August COVID-19: New funding for clinical trials
• 10 August Operational update – Victorian Aged Care Response Centre
• 10 August Aged Care Employee Day
• 7 August Deputy Chief Medical Officer opinion piece on the Community transmission of COVID-19 into aged care
• 6 August Additional support for people with severe mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic
• 6 August Further mental health support for Victorians during COVID-19 pandemic
• 2 August  Additional COVID-19 Mental Health Support
• 31 July Press Conference by the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre on 31 July 2020
• 31 July St Basil’s aged care residents transferred to hospital
• 28 July Greater virus protection for aged care workers
• 19 July Support for aged care residents and aged care workers across Victoria
• 17 July Two million more face masks for Victorian aged care and disability workers
• 15 July COVID-19: over 1 million online training completions
• 13 July Face masks required for aged care workers in Melbourne hotspots
  
• 4 July Victoria not alone in latest COVID-19 response (An opinion piece by the Australian Government’s Acting Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly)

• 1 July COVIDSafe app an important tool in fight against coronavirus (An opinion piece by the Australian Government’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Nick Coatsworth).

• 27 June Lessons for Australia from Melbourne’s COVID-19 spike (An opinion piece by the Australian Government Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Alison McMillan).

• 7 July Supporting older Australians (joint media release: Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Minister for Health Greg Hunt, and Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians Senator richard Colbeck about new home care packages and the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety extension)
• 21 June Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) statement on recent outbreaks of COVID-19 in Victoria
• 12 June update on coronavirus measures 
• 8 May update on coronavirus measures
• 29 May Commonwealth and states sign $131 billion five year hospitals agreement
• 26 April COVIDSafe: new app to slow the spread of the coronavirus
• 26 April Health professionals support COVIDSafe app
• 23 April COVID-19 rapid response boost for Australian's intensive care units 
• 2 April Training more nurses for critical care 
• 31 March Australian Government partnership with private health sector secures 30,000 hospital beds and 105,000 nurses and staff, to help fight COVID-19 pandemic

 

Online training modules

1. How to protect yourself and the people you are caring for from infection with COVID-19 (for nurses, midwives and personal care workers)

 

Residential aged care

• Winter Plan - a guide for residential aged care providers (winter 2022) 
• First 24 hours – managing COVID-19 in a residential aged care facility
• Department of Health FAQs - Restrictions on entry into and visitors to aged care facilities
• Minister for Aged Care Richard Colbeck letter confirming casuals to receive retention payment and dual employment advise (7 May 2020)
• Retention bonus payment resources, includes factsheets, eligibility, guidelines and frequently asked questions (updated September 2020)

View the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services aged care COVID-19 information and resources.

 

Other resources

1. COVID-19 vaccines
2. Information and how to download the COVIDSafe app 
3. Download the “Coronavirus Australia” government app in the Apple App Store or Google Play
4. Join the Department of Health WhatsApp channel on iOS or Android.
5. Resources for health professionals, including pathology providers and healthcare managers
6. National Health Plan resources
7. Search for COVID-19 publications and fact sheets
8. Coronavirus (COVID-19) current situation and case numbers
9. About coronavirus (COVID-19) and how to protect yourself
10. Interim advice on non-inpatient care of persons with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, including use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
11. Smartraveller for those travelling to or returning from overseas
12. Read the weekly epidemiology reports
13. Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) 2019-nCoV National Guidelines for Public Health Units

 

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