One nursing home in Co Clare was the subject of intense speculation on social media over the weekend.
A video was circulated online, incorrectly suggesting the Defence Forces had been brought in to run Cahercalla Hospital in Ennis.
Cahercalla, which can house up to 112 patients, has been dealing with a coronavirus outbreak.
There are currently 89 residents in the nursing home, 20 of whom are positive.
Dr Michael Harty is a GP, former TD and also the chair of the Cahercalla board.
He told Siofra Mulqueen for The Pat Kenny Show: "In rough terms, it has affected between 20% and 25% of our staff".
"The virus has affected our staff, not only our staff on the floor but it has also affected some of our managerial staff.
"So it is sometimes quite difficult to be in contact with patients on a daily basis, but the wards endeavour to do so".
He explained why members of the Defence Forces are there.
"Some of the Defence Force personnel are helping us out in the nursing home".
"They came in to give us logistical support, because a nursing home of this size there is a lot of portering to be done, there's a lot of cleaning to be done, removal of waste material has to be managed properly.
"Even such things as laundry has to be managed properly".
"They have been fantastic - we have five members on during the day time, and two on at night".
"They're a disciplined force, they know how to take instruction and to work hard - so they have been an invaluable asset to the nursing home".
"They haven't been brought in in an emergency situation, they've been brought in in a very managed situation".
'Looked at it rationally'
June O'Grady's mother is a resident at Cahercalla, and said the hospital is in regular contact with her.
"It was hysteria on Saturday night on Facebook", she said.
"When I read it first I did panic, and then I just kind of took a minute and I thought about it and I actually thought about the fact that we are so well informed".
"As far as I would be concerned, the staff would be managed by the management and if they had replacement in that's their prerogative to do so".
"With regard to the Defence Forces, it was a big panic of course.
"But then when you looked at it rationally, they were in there because there was a lot of the porters that were out.
"And once that was explained, it makes perfect sense".
'People just got confused'
Clare Mayor Mary Howard said speculation followed based on the video, which she felt she had to address.
"I got a lot of calls from people with loved ones in Cahercalla - a lot of them wouldn't have seen the loved ones since September, and a lot of them wouldn't have actually hugged them since last March.
"They were hearing this information and it really did frighten them, they were very, very frightened for their loved ones.
"The information was incorrect, hugely exaggerated and it was misconstrued and people just got confused with what they were listening [sic].
"They were saying '40 patients' - at that time it was 14 - I know were waiting on swabs to come back from other patients.
"They had said that the HSE and the army had come in and taken over the hospital."
She also rebuked incorrect reports that there were 'two-van loads' of troops, saying: "I think there's five [soldiers] there approximately, and they're there really for the heavy lifting".
The Defence Forces have been deployed to Cahercalla Hospital in Ennis, Clare.
The nursing home is dealing with a COVID19 outbreak, with 20 residents testing positive.
My report will air on @PatKennyNT @ 11am.
Here’s @MaryHoward2009 addressing social media hysteria #patkenny pic.twitter.com/XdsFSirOHT— Síofra Mulqueen (@SiofraMulqueen) January 20, 2021
"The images we've seen in recent times of armies is...the Capitol Building in Washington - that was not happening here, it's not happening anywhere in Ireland.
"It was five or six lads came in to help to move furniture: It wasn't this drama we're seeing on television".
She also said it was important to "put the record straight".
"It was very frustrating to see, because it really caused a huge amount of upset".
Mayor Howard said she also got calls from staff members: "They're doing their best and they were very upset about this.
"Caracalla is very special to all of us - anyone you meet from the town that we're in now, Ennis, the vast majority of us were born there.
"So we've all got a very strong emotional connection to it".
