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LAST UPDATE | 27 Feb 2020
DENMARK HAS REPORTED its first coronavirus case, a man who had returned from a skiing holiday in northern Italy which has become a hotspot for the disease.
“The man who came back from a skiing trip with his wife and son on 24 February has been suffering since then from a cough and a temperature,” Denmark’s public health agency said in a statement.
“The man tested positive, but the results of his wife and son are negative,” it said.
The man is relatively well and has returned to his home, where he remains in isolation with his family, it added.
According to public TV station TV2, the man is one of its employees.
Italy has reported 400 coronavirus cases, mostly in the north, and 12 deaths.
Meanwhile, England has reported two further cases of Covid-19, bringing the total number of UK cases to 15.
The two patients had just returned from Italy and Tenerife, according to the UK’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty.
The virus was passed on in Italy and Tenerife and the patients have been transferred to specialist NHS infection centres in Royal Liverpool Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital, London.
Department of Health and Social Care / Twitter
Department of Health and Social Care / Twitter / Twitter
Elsewhere, Kuwait has reported a large spike in cases, confirming that 43 people now have the virus.
More than 2,700 people have died in China and some 78,000 have been infected but the WHO reported yesterday that the rest of the world is now outpacing China in the number of new Covid-19 cases being confirmed.
Meanwhile, crew members from a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship off Japan have begun leaving the vessel for a new quarantine on-shore after passengers left the boat, the government said.
“Today, 240 crew members are leaving the ship and this disembarking operation will continue for a couple of days,” a health ministry official told AFP.
Those leaving the boat will be placed in medical observation for 14 days at government-designated dormitories before being allowed to leave Japan, they said.
Hundreds of crew members of the Diamond Princess remained on the vessels to continue operations while Japanese officials placed thousands of passengers in a quarantine after the ship arrived at a port near Tokyo on 3 February.
But the quarantine has been heavily criticised after more than 700 people on board tested positive for the virus.
Hundreds of passengers who tested negative were allowed to depart the vessel after the 14-day quarantine on-board, but several have since been diagnosed with the virus.
The health ministry has also admitted that it allowed some travellers to go home without testing them during the quarantine period.
The ship carried about 3,700 passengers and crew members when it reached the port of Yokohama.
Several nations, including the US, Australia and the Philippines, have used chartered flights to repatriate hundreds of their citizens.
Passengers and crew members who tested positive for the virus have been sent to hospitals in Japan.
A total of four people who were hospitalised after being taken off the ship have died.
- Additional reporting by Adam Daly
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At this stage, we should just copy the Chinese model and shut down all events, flights and travel in and out of Europe for a couple of weeks. It will hurt for a while but need to keep the big picture in mind.
@Nomad: Nope.
It’s already here, clearly. And in reality, there was zero chance of stopping it, as long as trade, commerce and tourism were given priority. So now we just have roll the dice with the health system. As someone with parents in their 80s, one of whom spent Christmas in hospital with the flu, I can tell you it’s going to be a lot more ‘disappointing’ than cancelling the odd parade…
Just cancel all major up coming events, full stop lifes are more important than someone feelings
Call me naive, but the reason for the Ireland Italy game being cancelled, was due to a large influx of Italians potentially from the affected regions arriving here? Well then what about the 30/40 flights a day into ireland from italy carrying plenty of italian passengers? Same situation no?
@Robert Grant: Italy isn’t the only European country with detected cases, should we close down the airports and ports completely?
@Robert Grant: The cases in Italy are in the north and under quarnteen so they are not exactly all off boarding planes to Ireland
@Gavin Conran: ah stop that now…that would make sense
@Gavin Conran: So the planes are empty then??
@Gavin Conran: what I mean is it’s a contradiction to cancel the games and still allow people travel here from affected regions of that country. I’m sure the italians who were going to travel to the game have flights booked so I’m sure they will still come and make a weekend of it and frequent our bars, restaurants and be mixing with plenty of people. It’s just a contradiction in my opinion.
@Gavin Conran: I know some crew working in Bergamo Airport and even though the city is on a lock down, airport is still fully functioning, bringing at least 2 fully loaded planes to Dublin daily
@Robert Grant: The cancellation is about 50,000 people being in a confined space, even one person there with the virus could cause a catastrophy.
It was a good call to cancel the match
@Dave vickers: They answered Ireland’s call.
All them multinational tech companies having People come and go from all over the world. What could possibly go wrong? I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s here already and HSE won’t release the news. As simple Simon says Ireland should expect ” a very big increase” in suspected corona virus cases in the next few week’s
@Stevo The Man On A Mission them dirty foreigners coming over here infectioning us with their dirty foreigner germs….
Get a grip their Stevo – it’s right to be cautious, but it’s wrong to get hysterical
@Dave Harris: ehhh what ?
@Stevo The Man On A Mission Returns: You should go on off to bed, lock your doors and just shrivel away.
@Ian Breathnach: It’s a completely anonymous account and makes outrageous statements. It has little courage. You should ignore it.
@Stevo The Man On A Mission Returns: they tuk err jerbbs
We’ve a lad here in this factory who returned yesterday from a skiing holiday in northern Italy. Our employer said dey got info saying hes fine so long as he doesnt show symptoms. I asked why are we relying on info from the most inept organisation in the country to keep us healthy
Probably a good thing they cancelled the Rugby match
Apparently the Clayton hotel in Dublin has just been closed off and men in hazmat suits seen entering. Could be precautionary, seen on Twitter
@Declan Edward: the jacks probably over flowed
@Declan Edward: there is no clayton Hotel on pearse St.
@OBean.ie: apologies, it’s only what I read earlier
It looks like it was a good call to cancel the match
No one is controlling anything its on the way a nd now its unstoppable
@Braonain Proinseas: What do you think is going to happen? In the space of 3 months the UK has 15 cases 9 of which have fully recovered and the rest still needing treatment or longer stays in hospital. Get some fckin perspective.
Quarantine people arriving into the republic or the virus will spread.
That video of the Clayton was posted over 12 hours ago. It was only for a few seconds and the 1 man didn’t even have anything in his hands, what was he going to check the person out with? More likely some idiot dressed up to try create hysteria. Nothing would surprise me in this town!
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