More than 660 aged care residents across 220 facilities have died from coronavirus and thousands more have been infected.

The inquiry was told in August that the Commonwealth failed to develop a dedicated plan for the sector during the pandemic's early stages.

The commission will on Wednesday hand a report to the governor-general, which will include recommendations for the sector.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison last month apologised for aged care's shortcomings, while federal health secretary Brendan Murphy said this week outbreaks in Victorian homes could have been minimised if the response was quicker.

Counsel assisting the commission Peter Rozen QC has said initial federal plans in February did not adequately consider gaps, such as equipment access and workforce shortfalls.

Lessons from deadly outbreaks at Sydney's Dorothy Henderson Lodge and Newmarch House in March and April were not properly conveyed to the rest of the sector, he also told the inquiry.

The commission heard frontline testimony about "dysfunctional" discussions between Newmarch House and governments, particularly around whether residents should be hospitalised.

Unions detailed troubles obtaining personal protective equipment and said staffing levels were thin on the ground.

The commission, due to hand down its overall report into the sector in February, is releasing coronavirus-specific recommendations as a matter of urgency.

"The virus doesn't wait and nor should the measures that need to be implemented to deal with the virus wait either," commissioner Tony Pagone said in August.

Australian Associated Press