BREAKING: First case of coronavirus confirmed in the Republic of Ireland

© Provided by Extra.ie

The first case of coronavirus has been confirmed in the Republic of Ireland.

The first case was confirmed to the Health Protection Surveillance today and the male patient is believed to be on the east part of Ireland.

The patient is a man in the east of the country, who travelled from an affected area of Northern Italy. The Dept of Health's National Public Health Emergency Team says the patient "is currently receiving appropriate medical care".

— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) February 29, 2020

Although this is the first case in the Republic of Ireland it is not the first case on the island.

© Provided by Extra.ie The first case of coronavirus has been confirmed in the Republic of Ireland. Pic: Luciana Guerra/PA Wire

Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer with the Department of Health, said: “This is not unexpected. We have been preparing for this eventuality for many weeks now."

— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) February 29, 2020

Last Thursday, the Public Health Agency (PHA) confirmed a case in Northern Ireland.

The patient in question had been to Northern Italy and then travelled home to Northern Ireland from Dublin Airport.

It is understood the patient is being treated in an isolation ward at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, which has been put on standby if there are more cases in Northern Ireland.

© Provided by Extra.ie On Thursday, Dr Kevin Kelleher from the HSE said that the coronavirus may already be in Ireland but at this stage, no one had yet tested positive. Photo:Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

On Thursday, Dr Kevin Kelleher from the HSE said that the coronavirus may already be in Ireland but at this stage, no one had yet tested positive.

There have been 100 suspected cases across the country however before this case no one had yet tested positive for the virus.

Assistant Professor Kim Roberts, microbiologist at Trinity College Dublin, said the number of reported cases are going up ‘dramatically’, saying the cases are in the hundreds.

© Provided by Extra.ie A health worker screens the temperature of an airline passenger arriving from Italy at Debrecen International Airport in Debrecen, Hungary. Pic: Akos Stiller/Bloomberg via Getty Images

It’s become a challenge to trace the source of the virus as more and more cases in Europe are confirmed.

Prof. Roberts was speaking on RTE Radio One’s Morning Ireland to discuss the virus and if Ireland is in danger or not.

When asked if it’s ‘inevitable’ that Coronvirus, also known as Covid-19, will come to Ireland, the microbiologist previously said: ‘Yes I think so.’

© Provided by Extra.ie It’s become a challenge to trace the source of the virus as more and more cases in Europe are confirmed. Pic: ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP via Getty Images.

So far, the total number of people infected by the coronavirus in China totals 78,824, while 2,788 people have died as a result of the illness.

As the disease continues to spread globally, over 3,600 cases have been reported outside China.