Coronavirus: Number of cases more than doubles in single day

The health service is coming under increasing strain after the number of coronavirus cases more than doubled in a single day.

Seven new cases were reported last night, including the first case in Cork involving transmission of the disease in the community, the origin of which remains a mystery.

One of the latest cases is connected to Trinity College Dublin, it emerged on Thursday night.

Four new cases, in males from the east of the country, involved travel from Italy, while two females who tested positive were associated with one of the cases reported on Wednesday in Co Clare.

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There are now 13 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Republic and three in Northern Ireland, with more expected by the day.

MAIN POINTS

• Cases in Republic rise to 13, with three in Northern Ireland
• First case of transmission in community
• Hundreds of cases expected within fortnight
• HSE says 25 new intensive care beds to open
• No plans to introduce travel ban
• Change in self-isolation rules for healthcare workers
• China's Hubei, excluding Wuhan, reports no new cases
• Health officials to meet in bid to plug gaps in staffing

Amid growing concern in the health service over the depletion of staff because of the virus, health officials are due to meet on Friday to see how the gaps can be plugged.

The latest batch of cases have forced large number of healthcare staff to go into self-isolation after they were found to be contacts and therefore at risk of infection.

The man diagnosed in Cork had been in Cork University Hospital for up to a week and so may have had contact with large numbers of staff and sick patients, before he was tested.

Vulnerable patients

Elsewhere, the healthcare professional diagnosed in Clare on Wednesday had worked in a hospital emergency department, a nursing home and in medical settings in the community before he was diagnosed nine days after returning from a skiing holiday in Italy. Efforts to trace people who came into contact with the man, many of whom are vulnerable patients, are ongoing.

The rules in relation to healthcare workers returning from at-risk areas abroad were changed on Wednesday, it emerged last night. Before this, staff coming back from Italy did not have to self-isolate unless they had been in one of 11 quarantined Italian towns; now, they must stay at home for 14 days if they have been anywhere in northern Italy.

HSE chief executive Paul Reid said 25 new intensive care beds are to be opened at a cost of €25 million to ease the pressure on the health service. An information campaign aimed at raising public awareness of protecting against the virus is also set to begin shortly.

Despite the increase in cases, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said he was not alarmed. "This is what we would have anticipated. It matches the pattern of most other countries' experience."

The number of cases was “still small” and officials were confident they can prevent significant further transmission, he told the daily briefing of the National Public Health Emergency Team.

Other than the case in Cork, he said, public health officials could explain how the patients involved were infected.

Despite the surge in cases related to travellers returning from Italy, he said there were no plans to introduce a travel ban for any region. A travel ban would be neither proportionate nor effective in preventing transmission, he said.

'Immediate actions' 

HSE chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry said Cork University Hospital had put in place "robust, immediate actions that put patient safety first". These include the cancellation of elective surgeries, visitor restrictions and the clearance of further space for isolating patients.

It is also understood the Dáil would move to St Patrick’s Hall in Dublin Castle if Leinster House could not be used due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Meanwhile, it emerged on Thursday evening that one of the four new patients identified with coronavirus in Dublin is based in Trinity College Dublin.

The university notified all students and staff via email that a positive case of Covid-19 had been confirmed in the college.

“We are now working closely with the authorities to ensure that this individual receives the best care possible,” said Trinity.

It said the HSE would trace anyone who had been in contact with the infected individual to ensure they received any necessary medical attention.

The university said it and the HSE would take all appropriate steps to contain any further spread of the virus and protect the welfare of Trinity’s students and staff.

Trinity confirmed that the university would remain “open and operating as normal”. Provost Patrick Prendergast said the relevant part of the university – fourth floor of the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute as well as lifts in the building – had been closed as a precautionary measure and would be cleaned in accordance with HSE guidelines.

Dr Prendergast said the situation remained fluid and advised people attending the university to check their emails for the latest official advice on a regular basis.