Nearly 10,000 staff and residents infected with Covid-19

There are nearly 10,000 aged care residents and staff infected with COVID-19 in Australia.

Recent data from the Department of Health and Aged Care has shown there are currently 9906 active COVID-19 cases in 1064 residential aged-care facilities across the nation.

Of these figures, 6360 cases involved residents and 3546 were staff.

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells said older Australians would be "safer this winter" compared to previous years.

"We have the antiviral treatments which we have recommended as best practice to be offered to any resident who gets COVID in aged care facilities,” she told Nine on Monday.

“So hopefully the severity of this is less this time around.”

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been more than 77,000 COVID cases reported in aged care homes and 3394 deaths nationwide.

Wells said fourth-booster shot vaccination rates among eligible residents have jumped from 60 per cent in June to 78.8 per cent.

Starting Monday, providers will be required to publish vaccination rates online which will help to further drive up fourth dose rates, the minister said.

"I strongly encourage aged care providers to continue to organise fourth doses as soon as residents are eligible to ensure they have maximum protection," she said.

Within the past 24 hours, NSW reported a total of 9471 Covid-19 cases, 7 deaths, 2323 hospitalisations and 69 ICU admissions.

Victoria has had 7678 cases, 3 deaths, 773 in hospital and 50 in ICU.

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