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.
Dr Conor Teljeur, HIQA's Chief Scientist, said that older people, particularly those who are frail or medically compromised, are at a higher risk of poor outcomes from Covid-19.
He said that the proportion of residents in a nursing home affected by an outbreak decreased with an increasing number of beds.
The study looked at outbreaks during the first and second waves here.
HIQA said the analysis was limited due to the lack of reliable and consistent data across nursing homes for a number of potentially important factors.
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