Officials will carry out a census of all deaths in long-term residential care facilities this weekend.

There have been 335 outbreaks of the virus in residential care settings around the country, including 196 in nursing homes.

Meanwhile, more than half the country’s COVID-19 deaths have been recorded in nursing homes.

Kathleen McLellan, Assistant Secretary at the Department of Health said the census will provide a clearer picture of the scale of the crisis and will bolster national efforts to stop the spread of the virus among older people.

“This survey which will be a census of mortality from January until April will determine whether those deaths are COVID-positive deaths or whether they are deaths related to other issues and whether they have occurred in hospitals or in a long-term residential care centre,” she said.

“We have much of this information but we consider that it will be very useful over the weekend to enhance the information we have.

“It will help inform our actions over the next few weeks.”

Testing

Meanwhile, the HSE is to begin testing all staff and residents in the facilities “as a priority.”

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said: “At today’s meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team, we endorsed a proposal to increase testing of staff and residents across all long-term residential care settings including nursing homes.

“The behaviour of the virus among vulnerable groups who live in these care settings continues to be a concern and this remains a priority for NPHET.”

Inspections

It comes as the Health Minister Simon Harris said the national health watchdog would begin special inspections of nursing homes later this month.

He said HIQA will publish a checklist for residential care facilities next week before beginning inspections to ensure it is being followed.

Dr Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer, HSE, said: “Each COVID-19 death reported is a tragedy.”

“This is an incurable illness and while 80% of the population will experience a mild form of the disease, our older and more vulnerable people are at a much greater risk due to the behaviour of this disease within this group.”

The Government said all staff and residents would be tested in the next seven to 10 days.

The COVID-19 death toll in the Republic rose to 530 last night with 44 further deaths announced.

The number of confirmed cases rose to 13,980.