By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Clusters of residents have been infected with Covid at two aged care homes in Greater Dandenong.
Eighteen aged-care residents, eight staff and a cleaning and a laundry contractor have tested positive at Arcare Keysborough, as of 19 October.
It joins a growing cluster at Belvedere Aged Care in Noble Park, where 32 residents and six staff have tested positive.
Infection numbers have grown from 18 residents and three staff about a week ago.
According to the home, a “regular visitor” attended while infectious with the Covid Delta-variant on Tuesday 5 October.
They had complied with Belvedere’s testing requirements, providing a negative result within 48 hours prior to arrival.
The Department of Health has also listed 17 cases at Shawlands Caravan Park in Dandenong South, and 13 at Bespoke Childcare in Dingley Village.
Bespoke Childcare has been listed as a Tier 1 exposure site between 5-8 October, 9am-6.30pm.
Anyone who visited the centre at those times must get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from the time of exposure, the health department advises.
Keysborough Egg Farm has been listed as a Tier 1 site due to an infected staff member on 5 October.
The 48-year-old business recently announced with “heavy hearts and after a very tough few years” it would close effective immediately.
In a Facebook post, it stated that: “Unfortunately, with all of the challenges brought by COVID-19, small family businesses like ours have been doing it really tough.
“We’ve soldiered on as long as we could for our staff and our community, but it’s time to shut the doors.”
It stated that as a “farming family” from “humble beginnings” that “the big boys have become too big”.
“It’s time we all step up for our community and small businesses.”
Active cases continue to soar in the South East, up 770 in Greater Dandenong in the past week and 1145 in Casey.
As of 19 October, there were 1273 active cases in Greater Dandenong and 2143 in Casey.
Postcode hotspots are Cranbourne (608 active cases), Dandenong (606), Narre Warren (368), Noble Park (306), Hampton Park (236), Keysborough (175), Doveton (147), Endeavour Hills (145), Hallam (136), Springvale South (129) and Springvale (118).
Meanwhile, vaccination rates have risen steeply to 87.4 per cent single dose coverage for residents 16-and-over and 57.4 per cent double-dose.
Double doses have soared by 9.4 per cent in a week, and nearly doubled in the past month.
However Greater Dandenong still lags about 12 per cent behind Victoria’s 70 per cent double-dose target.
