A huge search has been launched for anyone who came into contact with the woman who became the first person in Ireland with the coronavirus.
The first confirmed case on the island was announced last night during a briefing by Northern Ireland's Public Health Agency.
It was revealed today on RTE's Morning Ireland that the ill person is a female but it's not known where she is from or where she is being treated.
It's understood she travelled from the Lombardy region in Northern Italy via Dublin Airport to Belfast with another passenger, but it's not known if the other person is an adult or a child.
It's believed she used public transport to travel from Dublin to Northern Ireland.
Asked whether the person is from Northern Ireland, Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said: "I think the most important thing here is that we respect patient confidentiality so I'm not going to disclose any personal details about this individual.
Dr McBride also told Belfast Live on Wednesday that the virus had the potential to become a "global pandemic".
He added: "People are clearly worried and understandably so. This is something that we’ve not encountered before.
"It’s a new virus which none of us have met before. Our immune system has not been exposed to it and therefore we’ve no natural immunity to it. So I can understand why that causes significant public concern."
And a huge search has now been launched to identify anyone in Ireland who came into contact with the infected woman during her journey.
Northern Ireland's Public Health Agency, as well as HSE officials south of the border, said last night they are working rapidly to identify any contacts the patient had.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan told RTE News said that the HSE will be contacting the people sitting within two rows of the woman on the Dublin Airport flight, as well as any staff on board.
The Department of Health will address the media at 9.30am on Friday in response to the case.
