A new report from the Health Information and Quality Authority has revealed some of the main factors behind outbreaks of Covid-19 in nursing homes.
It says there were a disproportionate number of deaths among those living in nursing homes during the early stages of the pandemic.
Among the key factors linked to outbreaks were: rising community incidence of Covid-19 around the home, the number of beds within the home and the presence of other nursing homes in close proximity.
Smaller outbreaks were associated with nursing homes having previously experienced an outbreak of Covid-19. The study found that many factors were outside the control of the nursing homes.