Cork coronavirus case not travel related

CUH has this morning said that it is receiving a high volume of calls to its switchboard after a man was confirmed to have coronavirus at the hospital last night. 
He’s the first in the country to be diagnosed with COVID-19 through community transmission and remains in isolation at the hospital. 
This man’s diagnosis brings the total number of cases to 13 in the Republic of Ireland. 
The HSE said it is working “rapidly” to identify any contacts the patients may have had, to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread.
CUH announced last night that strict visitor restrictions have been introduced with immediate effect at CUH due to what it said was “infection control concerns”.
“All infection control measures are in place and every effort is being made to manage and contain the spread of infection,” said a CUH spokesperson.
These restrictions are in place at Cork University Maternity Hospital and gynaecology outpatients are cancelled for today, 6 March.
The hospital remains on partial lockdown. 

Cases in Ireland
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre confirmed yesterday evening that it had been informed of seven new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland, in the past two-three days. 
Four cases are travel related from northern Italy and includes four males from the east of the country.
Two cases are associated with close contact with a confirmed case and these two females are in the west of the country.
One case of community transmission is the man in CUH. 
There are now 13 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. The numbers in Northern Ireland remain at three cases.
Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer with the Department of Health, said: “Ireland remains in containment phase with just one case of community transmission. This is, however, a rapidly evolving situation. Public health doctors are working hard to ensure our containment measures are operating effectively.”
He added: “Most people who become infected with COVID-19 experience a mild illness and recover, but it can be more severe for some. However, this will need a national effort. Every individual needs to be aware of how to protect their own health and the health of others.” 

Cases across the world, as of 5 March
Africa: Algeria (12), Senegal (3), Egypt (2), Morocco (1), Nigeria (1) and Tunisia (1).
Asia: China (80,524), South Korea (5,766), Iran (2,922), Japan (317), Singapore (112), Kuwait (56), Bahrain (52), Malaysia (50), Thailand (47), Taiwan (42), Iraq (31), India (28), United Arab Emirates (27), Vietnam (16), Israel (15), Oman (15), Lebanon (13), Qatar (8), Pakistan (5), Philippines (3), Indonesia (2), Afghanistan (1), Cambodia (1), Jordan (1), Nepal (1), Saudi Arabia (1) and Sri Lanka (1).
America: United States (159), Canada (33), Ecuador (10), Mexico (5), Brazil (3), Chile (3), Argentina (1) and Dominican Republic (1).
Europe: Italy (3,089), France (285), Germany (262), Spain (200), United Kingdom (85), Switzerland (57), Norway (56), Netherlands (38), Sweden (35), Austria (29), Iceland (26), Belgium (23), San Marino (15), Denmark (10), Greece (10), Croatia (9), Czech Republic (8), Finland (7), Belarus (6), Portugal (5), Romania (4), Russia (4), Azerbaijan (3), Georgia (3), Estonia (2), Hungary (2), Andorra (1), Armenia (1), Latvia (1), Liechtenstein (1), Lithuania (1), Luxembourg (1), Monaco (1), North Macedonia (1), Poland (1), Slovenia (1) and Ukraine (1).
Oceania: Australia (52) and New Zealand (3).
Other: Cases on an International Conveyance in Japan (705)

Protective measures

• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water.
• Maintain at least one metre distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Practice cough and sneeze hygiene like covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough/sneeze. Then dispose of the tissue immediately.
• Stay informed and keep up to date on latest COVID-19 information on hse.ie.  
• The general public is advised to follow advice from the HSE and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre to protect their health.
• Any person who has travelled from an affected region in the last 14 days, or who has come in contact with a confirmed case  in the last 14 days, and is concerned that they may have symptoms of COVID-19 should immediately isolate themselves from others and phone their GP.