A nursing home in the midlands has gone into full lockdown after more than a dozen residents and staff tested positive for Covid-19.
Laurel Lodge Nursing Home in Longford town has prohibited all visitations for the foreseeable future after between "14 to 15 cases" of coronavirus were detected among a number of residents and employees within the last week.
A spokesperson for the privately run facility confirmed the outbreak this afternoon but declined to comment any further, saying all necessary public health protocols were being taken.
The spokesperson also confirmed all of the cases identified are among residents and staff who are fully vaccinated against the virus.
It's understood at least three of the cases confirmed are among staff who are now self-isolating at home.
The remaining residents who tested positive are being treated in isolation in a bid to ensure the virus spreads no further.
Longford-Westmeath Fianna Fáil TD Joe Flaherty expressed his disappointment over the outbreak but insisted all necessary measures were being rolled out by the facility.
"It is a worrying development but I do know Laurel Lodge has led the way in effectively managing the virus and while it is disappointing for the facility, I have no doubt that all necessary measures are being put in place," he said.
"The reality is this is a fast-moving virus and is something we are going to have to live with."
Details of the outbreak come after government leaders were informed earlier today of how the country could be faced with encountering a peak of between 2,500 to 3,000 cases of Covid-19 by mid-September.
National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) chiefs outlined their concerns in the body's latest letter to the government, expressing fears the virus' spread could result in anywhere between 500 to 700 patients requiring hospitalisation.
