Irish health officials are investigating four stillbirths potentially linked to Covid-19, the Republic's deputy chief medical officer has said.

Ronan Glynn said officials have been “made aware of four preliminary reports of stillbirths potentially associated with a condition called Covid Placentitis”, AFP reported.

Glynn told reporters in Dublin that coroners had reported the cases, in which pregnant women have tested positive for the coronavirus and subsequently suffered stillbirths.

The cause of the stillbirth in such cases is infection of the placenta, he said.