18,000 nursing home staff and residents tested for Covid19 since last Saturday

18,000 staff and residents in long term residential care have been tested for Covid 19 since last Saturday.

That’s according to the CEO of the HSE and comes as the latest figures show there are now 16,671 cases of coronavirus nationwide

There’s been a jump of 61% in cases in nursing homes since Monday.

CEO of Nursing Homes Ireland, Tadhg Daly, says that’s down to the extra testing:

“The nursing home sector is now and has been for a number of weeks on the frontline”.

“I think we also need to remember that on Friday last that they committed to a programme of testing of all residents and staff so this rise I would suggest is attributed to the fact that the testing regime has increase significantly”.