An outbreak of Covid-19 has been identified at Naas General Hospital in County Kildare.
The virus has been detected on one major ward, but test results from patients have come back as negative.
The affected ward, believed to be a 31-bed unit, is now closed to new admissions.
The hospital says as of last night, there are no confirmed cases there, and 8 suspected cases.
An Outbreak Control Team has been undertaking testing and contact tracing.
This evening, swab results for patients have come back negative, while staff who are close contacts are self-isolating.
It's understood the source of the outbreak could be part of the cleaning team, who tested positive.
Over 300 cases have been confirmed in Kildare in the past two weeks.
*Reporting by Shane Beatty
