Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Since the beginning of this year, as of 15 February, 711 people have died in residential aged-care facilities. Deaths reported in residential aged-care facilities in total to 9 February of this year is 5,728. Every single life that has been lost to this virus, whether here or around the world, is a terrible tragedy for the families affected by those deaths. That is one of the objectives that our government, working with other governments around the country, have worked tirelessly to seek to minimise through the course of this pandemic, and we will continue to do that. The work that we've done and the additional supports that we've put in place, which indeed have been supported by the minister for aged-care services, led by the minister for aged care, who is in this House, have been there to ensure that Australia, when compared with other countries around the world, have had one of the lowest rates of fatalities from COVID, including in residential aged-care facilities. And so I say this: while we mourn the loss of those who have passed away in aged care, who have had COVID when they've passed away, as the Chief Medical Officer has been at pains to point out, passing away with COVID is not the same as passing away because of COVID.

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