Five new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the Republic of Ireland.
It brings to 18 the number of confirmed case of the virus.
Two men and three women are among the five new cases.
The National Public Health Emergency Team announced the new cases at a briefing this evening. They are:
- A male, in the east of Ireland, where the case is associated with travel from northern Italy.
- A female, in the west of Ireland, where the case is associated with close contact with a confirmed case.
- A female, in the south of Ireland, who is a healthcare worker. The case is associated with close contact with a confirmed case.
- A male, in the south of the country, where the case is associated with travel
- A female, in the south of the country, where the case is associated with travel from northern Italy.
The statement said that: "The HSE is working rapidly to identify any contacts the patients may have had, to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread."
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said: "We ask that no organisation, school or health service provider acts unilaterally.
"We need to respond to the threat of COVID-19 in unison, following the advice of Public Health."
Dr Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, added: "The past number of weeks have been challenging for everyone in our healthcare system. This challenge is going escalate as the number of cases here rise.
"We must prioritise the protection of our frontline healthcare staff and as part of this the National Public Health Emergency Team has established a sub-group to identify and implement appropriate measures to protect them."
Seven coronavirus cases were confirmed by the HSE yesterday, including the first case of community transmission.
Meanwhile, a fourth coronavirus case has been identified in the North.
The adult patient had recently travelled from Italy and is linked to a previously confirmed positive case.
Staff at the Public Health Agency are working to identify contacts the individual may have had.
The region’s chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride said: “Further positive cases have been expected and we anticipate the number will increase in the days and weeks ahead.
“Northern Ireland remains in the containment phase and it is important to emphasise that. This will obviously be kept under constant review.”
- with reporting by Press Association
Meanwhile, strict visitor restrictions have been implemented in more than 20 hospitals around the country due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The South/South West Hospital Group, UL Hospitals Group and Saolta Group have all implemented visitor bans and restrictions.
In total, 21 health facilities are affected.
The news comes as up to 60 healthcare workers at Cork University Hospital (CUH) have been asked to self-isolate and all nursing homes nationwide have banned visitors.
It follows the confirmation of coronavirus in a male patient several days after his admission to CUH for symptoms linked to a serious underlying health condition.
The man had no history of travel to affected areas in Northern Italy and had no known contact with another confirmed case.
It is the first case of community transmission of the virus in Ireland. There are currently 13 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Ireland.
The South/South West Hospital Group said visitor restrictions have been introduced "with immediate effect" due to infection control concerns.
The hospitals where these restrictions have been implemented are:
- Cork University Hospital
- Cork University Maternity Hospital
- University Hospital Kerry
- University Hospital Waterford
- South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital
- Mercy University Hospital
- Bantry General Hospital
- Mallow General Hospital
In a statement, South/South West Hospital Group said the restrictions are "in the interest of patient care and in order to prevent the spread of infection".
It added: "Anyone with any queries about visiting times or visiting a particular hospital should ring the respective hospital directly.
"Management at the South/South West Hospital Group have requested that where appropriate the public contact their GP/Out of Hours service in the first instance and explore all other options available to them prior to presenting to Emergency Departments if their needs are not urgent."
A visiting ban has also been introduced at all six health facilities run by the UL Hospitals Group.
The group said that the sites affected by their visitors' ban are:
- University Hospital Limerick
- University Maternity Hospital Limerick
- St John’s Hospital
- Nenagh Hospital
- Ennis Hospital
- Croom Orthopaedic Hospital.
"We regret any distress or inconvenience these extraordinary measures will cause to patients and their loved ones," the statement said.
"These measures are being taken in order to minimise any spread of infection within our hospital sites."
There are exceptions to the ban, which are:
- Parents visiting children in hospital
- Partners of women attending University Maternity Hospital Limerick
- People visiting patients at end-of-life
- People assisting confused patients (e.g. dementia)
- People visiting patients in Critical Care
The hospitals group said the exemptions are limited to one person per patient only.
"Please note that the ban on visitors also applies to patients attending the Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick and the Injury Units in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s," the statement continued.
"We are appealing to members of the public to co-operate with these necessary restrictions.
"We are also urging the public to keep the Emergency Department for emergencies only; a place where priority is given to the seriously injured and ill and those whose lives may be at risk."
The Saolta Group group are also implementing visiting restrictions at all of their hospitals in the north-west from today.
The hospitals affected are:
- University Hospital Galway
- Merlin Park University Hospital
- Portiuncula University Hospital
- Roscommon University Hospital
- Mayo University Hospital
- Sligo University Hospital
- Letterkenny University Hospital
A spokesperson for the Saolta Group said: "We are asking the public not to visit any hospital other than end of life situations and other exceptional circumstances as agreed with the ward manager in advance of visiting."
The spokesperson said to arrange a visit "families should telephone the hospital and request to speak to the relevant ward manager who will decide if a visit can be facilitated without compromising the welfare of the patients on the ward.
"Children in particular should not visit patients in hospital.
"We recognise that the visiting restrictions may be challenging for patients and their families, however, our priority must be to protect the patients in our hospitals who are vulnerable to infection.
"We would like to thank members of the public for their co-operation."
Useful information
- The HSE have developed an information pack on how to protect yourself and others from coronavirus. Read it here
- Anyone with symptoms of coronavirus who has been in close contact with a confirmed case in the last 14 days should isolate themselves from other people - this means going into a different, well-ventilated room alone, with a phone; phone their GP, or emergency department - if this is not possible, phone 112 or 999 and in a medical emergency (if you have severe symptoms) phone 112 or 999
Earlier today, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said mass public gatherings such as St Patrick’s Day parades will not be cancelled amid the spread of Covid-19.
Speaking following a stakeholder meeting with health officials on Friday, he said: “We are not recommending at this stage that any major events be cancelled but this of course will be kept under review.”
The Government announced today that the Covid-19 Stakeholder Forum "was today provided with guidance to organisers and attendees of mass gatherings".
A statement said: "The Chief Medical Officer in the Department of Health has advised that the Covid-19 virus is still in containment phase.
"The current public health advice is that there is no reason to cancel any proposed mass gatherings including the St. Patrick’s Day Festival."
