A Dubliner is being treated at St James’s Hospital for the first suspected case of coronavirus in Ireland.
The man in his 40s, who is originally from China, had recently returned from the Asian country and is understood to be displaying the tell-tale symptoms of the killer virus.
Dublin Live has learned that the man’s GP phoned the hospital ahead after he presented at his south Dublin doctor's surgery, and he was admitted to St James’s yesterday evening.
The patient, who lives in south inner city Dublin, is being tested for the virus and is currently in a special Negative Pressure Isolation Room in St Kevin’s Ward, with the hospital following the strict protocol put in place by the HSE for the outbreak, which was declared a worldwide health emergency last month.
A source told DublinLive: "At this stage the patient is being tested. It's important to note that it hasn't been confirmed whether or not the patient has the virus yet.
"That won't be known until the tests come back. All precutions are being taken."
It’s understood that unlike previous coronavirus scares in Ireland, the patient at St James’s presented within the "incubation period" and medics suspect he has the much-feared bug.
St Kevin's Ward is part of a 59 bedded Acute Medical Admission Unit.
The function of the AMAU, the St James's Hopsital website says, is "to provide an efficient service, rapid investigation, early diagnosis/treatment" as well as early planned discharge.
The flu-like coronavirus which was first reported in China on December 31 has now killed at least 427 people.
Most of the deaths have occurred in the city of Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province. More than 20,000 others in China have been infected.
There were at least 151 cases in 23 other countries and regions, including two cases in the UK.
The HSE told Dublin Live that it will only comment on confirmed cases of the virus.
A spokesperson told Dublin Live: "Ireland has advanced plans in place as part of its comprehensive preparedness to deal with public health emergencies such as novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
"Ireland is well positioned to detect and respond to a case of the novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that might arise here.
"To date, there are no confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Ireland."
