Brendan Murphy admits earlier federal action could have prevented some aged care deaths in Australia

If the commonwealth had set up its aged care response centre sooner we might have avoided some of the scale of the outbreaks in Victoria'

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Prof Brendan Murphy has conceded some deaths could have potentially been avoided in aged care homes during the second wave of Covid-19 infections in Victoria if the commonwealth had set up its aged care response centre in the state earlier.

Murphy is Australia's former chief medical officer who is now the secretary of the federal health department. He told a Senate hearing on Tuesday if the public health response had been more prompt we might have avoided some of the scale of the outbreaks in Victoria".