The HSE has warned members of the public of a potential outbreak of the Delta variant in Athlone, Westmeath amid "reports of house parties".
In a statement released this evening, the HSE said that the Department of Public Health in the Midlands is investigating cases of COVID in the Athlone area that may be the Delta variant, but it's not yet confirmed by whole genome sequencing.
The authorities said that these cases are associated with socialising that occurred down by the river on the west side on Friday, June 11.
While it's not yet clear how transmission occurred, it may be that social distancing advice was not adhered to. There have also been reports of house parties that night.
Those who are not fully vaccinated may be at risk of infection, while those who are particularly vulnerable need to continue to protect themselves against COVID-19 until they have been fully vaccinated.
If anyone was socialising in Athlone on the evening of Friday, June 11 and thinks that they might have been exposed to COVID-19, they're being asked to attend one of the HSE COVID-19 testing centres.
Aside from this, anyone who was in the area and is displaying symptoms is being asked to contact their GP, do not go to work and restrict their movements.
The HSE has also said that there's no evidence of a Covid outbreak or cases of the Delta variant in Tubber National School.
Earlier this evening, Dr Tony Holohan issued a warning as the Delta variant accounted for 20% of Covid-19 cases in the last week.
The Chief Medical Officer said: "We estimate that Delta accounts for up to 20% of cases reported in the last week. We have also seen a number of outbreaks associated with this variant reported in the last week.
This is similar to a pattern being seen in a number of other EU member states. In the UK, Delta has been the dominant strain of cOVID 19for a number of weeks and now they are beginning to experience a rise in hospitalisations.
I"t is really important that people who are not fully vaccinated continue to follow all public health advice. This includes people who are waiting for their second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
"People should take a vaccine when it is offered to them and in the meantime, they should continue to avoid crowds, limit contacts, avoid meeting up indoors and work from home where possible."
