Australia's Covid aged care deaths 'worst disaster still unfolding before my eyes'

Royal commission hears hundreds of residents will die because of government failure to develop a coronavirus response plan, and that some care homes are cutting staff

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An aged care expert has told the royal commission examining the sector that Covid-19 is the worst disaster that is still unfolding before my eyes", and warned that hundreds of residents will die prematurely because of a failure of authorities to act.

Prof Joseph Ibrahim, head of the health law and ageing research unit at Monash University's forensic medicine department, also told the aged care royal commission on Wednesday morning he believes Australia's rate of death in residential aged care is more than 68% - the second-highest in the world behind Canada at 80%.