Flu vaccinations
We strongly encourage health care workers to get the flu vaccine every year. The flu vaccine does not protect against COVID-19, but if anyone becomes ill with both influenza and COVID-19, it can be very serious.
Aged care workers and all people entering aged care facilities must have had a flu vaccine, except in Victoria.
Staff may experience fever as a side effect of the flu vaccination. As fever is also a symptom of COVID-19, if you have a fever, get tested as a precaution.
Personal protective equipment (PPE)
Wear appropriate PPE (gown, mask, protective eyewear and gloves) if you:
- will be exposed to body fluids or very contaminated surfaces
- are caring for someone confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19.
Remove your PPE before leaving the room or the person’s home. Wash or sanitise your hands straight after removing PPE.
For more about using PPE:
- read the PPE for the health workforce during COVID-19 page
- watch our wearing PPE in aged care video.
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s COVID-19 page includes an overview of their compliance approach during the pandemic.
Resources
Publications and fact sheets
COVID-19 resources for health professionals, including aged care providers, pathology providers and health care managers
Webinars
- webinars on the COVID-19 response for the health and aged care sector
- webinars for the aged care sector.
Online training
A 30-minute online module – COVID-19 infection control training – is available for care workers across all health care settings. It includes training specific to aged care.
Other training modules include:
- personal safety
- families and visitors – residential care
- families and visitors – in-home care
- COVID-19 and aged care
- outbreak management procedures
- personal protective equipment
- laundry
- if you suspect a person has COVID-19.
These modules take 5 to 10 minutes each. You will receive an acknowledgement of completion certificate for each module.
This training is hosted on an external site, provided by our COVID-19 training partner Aspen Medical.
Staying informed
To stay up to date on aged care and COVID-19:
- browse our aged care news
- subscribe to aged care news.
You can also read our COVID-19 advice for: