RTÉ News has learned from the HSE that eight residents between the ages of 66 and 84 died over the course of the bank holiday weekend after testing positive for Covid-19 at an old age psychiatric hospital in Co Laois.
All of the people were residing at the Maryborough Centre for psychiatry of old age residential centre, formerly known as St Vincents hospital in Portlaoise.
There has been concerns in the local area for several days about the availability of personal protective equipment and additional nursing staff at the hospital but in a statement tonight the HSE told RTÉ News that while a number of staff are currently on sick leave a number of additional workers were redeployed to the centre in the week prior to Easter following the