Coronavirus: 10 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed in Ireland; Total now at 34

• 10 new Covid-19 cases confirmed in Ireland today. 34 cases in total
• There are now 50 cases on the island of Ireland - 34 here, 16 in the North
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• Two members of staff at

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There are now 34 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland, the Department of Health has announced.

10 new cases have been confirmed this evening. They are:

• One male, a healthcare worker, in the south of the country, associated with hospital transmission
• One female, a healthcare worker, in the east of the country, possible hospital transmission
• Three males, in the south of the country, associated with travel from an affected area
• One male, in the west of the country, associated with close contact with a confirmed case
• One female, in the west of the country, associated with close contact with a confirmed case
• One female, in the south of the country, associated with close contact with a confirmed case
• One male, in the east of the country, associated with travel from an affected area
• One female, in the east of the country, associated with travel from an affected area

A statement from the department revealed 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; “98% of all suspected cases in Ireland have tested negative. While Ireland remains in containment phase, there is no room for complacency.

“We all have a part to play in limiting and slowing the spread of this disease.”

At the briefing today the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, dismissed as "conjecture" suggestions that Covid-19 had been present in Ireland since around Christmas, and was responsible for some of the respiratory illness seen this season.

"We've been looking for cases (of Covid-19) for some weeks, and there wasn't anything," he said.

The National Public Health Emergency Team met earlier today and a number of decisions were made during it. They are:

• The Health Protection Surveillance Centre will formally update guidelines for healthcare workers returning to work following exposure to a confirmed case, as per recommendations from the Expert Advisory Group (EAG).
• Confirmed cases who are clinically appropriate can remain in their home, in self-isolation. This is subject to the development of criteria for their discharge from self isolation by the EAG tomorrow (11 March).
• Socially restrictive actions around hospitals and nursing homes are not necessary at this moment in time.
• Laboratory testing will commence in regional laboratories.

The Department of Health also announced that as of March 9, 1,784 people have been tested for Covid-19 in Ireland.

The figure is an increase of 1,387 tests in one week.

Earlier today, it was revealed that a worker at

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It was also announced today that there were

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It brings to 50 the number on confirmed cases on the island of Ireland.