Five Irish nursing homes have been placed on Red Alert for coronavirus by the HSE.

The Health Service said it is currently dealing with a total of 59 coronavirus outbreaks in nursing homes around the country.

It means there are ongoing outbreaks at 10% of the country’s homes.

Speaking at a HSE briefing this afternoon, the health services Chief Operating Officer (COO) Anne O'Connor said a number of homes are getting intensive support.

“That is not to say they are all in terrible difficulty,” she said. “Just that is what is recorded.”

“I think, from our perspective, we are actively supporting a small number of those and providing intensive supports.

“So, there are five currently in the red status.”

Meanwhile, there are nearly 60 ongoing outbreaks in residential institutions that are not nursing homes around the country.

The latest report from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) notes that there are nearly 4,000 open COVID-19 clusters in Ireland.

The vast majority are in private households (3,125), while schools account for 125 and workplaces account for 111.

The HSE Chief Executive Paul Reid said the coronavirus figures have been trending well over the past week; however, he warned that things can change very quickly.

He said the 14-day incidence of the virus has dropped to 212 per 100,000 people and the average number of close contacts per case is also falling.

He urged people not to drop their guard.

“In a short period of time, it can change very quickly – we know that,” he said.

“In a very short period of time we could find ourselves dealing with a similar trend that is actually happening all over Europe.

“So, while it is good and positive that we are bucking the trend, we equally know it can turn very quickly.”

He warned that the number of people being treated for the virus in hospital and intensive care is stable “at best.”