Dozens of aged care residents are dying of COVID-19 each week as facilities grapple with more than 240 outbreaks nationwide.

Outbreak numbers have been steadily rising since late May, according to federal data.

It reached a peak of more than 300 outbreaks, 1,752 affected residents and 34 deaths in the final week of June, according to health officials.

However, a spokesperson for the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing said cases were now in decline.

"[The] peak outbreak and case numbers recorded this year is lower than in previous years," they told the ABC.

"On 11 April 2025, the Chief Medical Officer and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner wrote to all aged care provider Board Chairs regarding expectations around staff and resident vaccinations and preventing and managing outbreaks.

"The [department] contacted all providers of aged care homes prior to the winter season to remind them of the current vaccination recommendations and to seek assurance they have plans to vaccinate their residence."

Lagging vaccination rates, community complacency and "damaging" misinformation were all contributing to climbing cases, experts told the ABC.

Rising COVID case numbers among aged care staff and patients

The number of outbreaks throughout Australian aged care facilities reached a low of 57 active outbreaks nationwide in early April.

Numbers then began to steadily increase with each passing week before reaching their June high point.

As of July 11, there were 241 active outbreaks, with 1,159 residents and 438 staff testing positive for the virus.

There have been 138 resident deaths since the beginning of June.

The aged care chair at the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP), Anthony Marinucci, said there were always "seasonal waves".

"That's normally hand in hand with new variants of the disease," he said.

"There is certainly lower booster uptake and waning community [vaccination rates] … There's also been a relaxation of precautions and higher exposure in aged care facilities.

"During the actual COVID period, aged care restrictions were super, super tight, but now there is much higher community visitation [to] aged care.

"The relaxing of precautions on one hand is very good for the mental health of people living in aged care, but it certainly does increase their potential to viral illnesses."

He added it was "the very nature of aged care" which made it more prone to outbreaks.

"It's a shared space, which often makes containment very difficult. So the facilities themselves can lead to higher outbreaks."

Dozens of facilities seeing vaccination rates drop

In dozens of facilities, less than 10 per cent of residents had received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in the last six months, according to data from the Australian Immunisation Register.

The department spokesperson told the ABC it was working with facilities to boost vaccination numbers nationally.

"Vaccination remains the most important measure to protect against severe disease … particularly in high-risk settings such as residential aged care," they said.

"To further ensure boosters are being prioritised … the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission continues to make unannounced site visits across the country with a focus on providers with the lowest vaccination rates."

Vaccinating aged care residents came with its own set of hurdles, experts told the ABC.

Cognitive decline meant that, for some residents, a family member needed to consent to the vaccination first.

University of New South Wales professor of global biosecurity Raina MacIntyre said it was concerning to see "highest risk" settings, such as aged care, lagging in vaccine booster rates.

"And older people in aged care have the same right.

"Aged care houses a lot of people with dementia [and] many facilities are almost 100 per cent dementia residents.

"So you have to get next of kin consent for vaccination. Therefore, we need material for education of family and loved ones who are making decisions for their relatives."

RACGP's president, Michael Wright, said health officials had known "since the beginning of the pandemic" that older patients were more at risk.

"It's true there are often additional challenges to vaccinating in aged care, but it's literally vital to keep residents' immunity up, as that fades over time," Dr Wright said.

He added the college was calling on operators to boost vaccination "as a matter of priority".

"Where aged care GPs and other health workers have identified barriers, aged care operators should do everything possible to increase vaccination coverage among these vulnerable patients.

"That goes for other age groups, too, though. COVID can still cause serious harm, including chronic conditions like long COVID."

'Complacency can be very dangerous'

Many Australians now think of COVID-19 as "just a flu", according to Professor MacIntyre.

"It's not a cold, it's a really serious virus," she said.

"There's an increased risk of cognitive damage [and] dementia as well with COVID. Up to a year, maybe even up to three years after one infection, your risk of heart attacks and strokes doubles, at least.

"So, it causes these terrible complications, including long COVID, which is quite a debilitating condition.

"It is a serious infection, and it's worth preventing it."

Dr Marinucci said it was difficult to balance the psychological and physical risks when it came to protecting aged care residents.

"I think that the assumption is … 'We've been through this before and we were OK, and we'll get through it again,'" he said.

"But complacency can be very dangerous.

"All respiratory illnesses can cause significant morbidity and mortality in a broader population. Aged care residents are a vulnerable population, there's no doubt about that.

"It's not just [the] reduced immunisation, but overall that increased community visitation.

"I've heard anecdotally where people have sort of said, 'Oh, I've got a sniffle, but I'll go see Mum and Dad,' whereas a few years ago, they absolutely … would have stayed away.

"But on the flip side of that, I've also seen the psychological impact of lockdowns in aged care, and they were very, very significant.

"So I think there has to be a precautionary balance."

COVID-19 vaccines are free for all Australians, and the influenza vaccine is free for everyone aged over 65.