Scale of Australia’s aged care Covid deaths laid bare as staff prepare to strike

The aged care sector is grappling with dozens of Covid deaths a week as staff shoulder huge workloads. Photograph: Maskot/Getty Images

Aged care providers have reported more than 350 Covid deaths since the election campaign began and continue to grapple with at least 60 deaths a week, government data shows.

An analysis of government data, conducted by the United Workers Union and confirmed by the Guardian, shows that Covid deaths in aged care facilities are now occurring at rates unseen in the first two years of the pandemic.