Over 1,000 cases were reported last week alone.
A leading Westmeath Immunologist says we shouldn't be overly concerned with a spike in Covid-19 cases.
There were more than 1,000 cases of the virus reported last week, an increase of 60% on the previous week.
The midlands saw 44 of those, while Regional Hospital Mullingar implemented visiting restrictions on Wednesday as a result.
The disease was seen to be more prevalent in the older age groups with the over-65s accounting for more than half of confirmed cases.
Mullingar's Kingston Mills, Professor of Experimental Immunology at Trinity College Dublin, says it's a milder disease now:
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