The first case of Coronavirus has been confirmed in Waterford.

It has emerged this evening that a male being treated at University Hospital Waterford has tested positive for Covid-19.

WLR News understands that the man has been a patient there for several days.

A floor of the Dunmore Wing has been opened to deal with the outbreak. Staff have been transferred to the unit which is made up of 21 single rooms. Suspected cases have been isolated in these rooms in recent days.

A strict ban on visitors was brought into force at UHW and across the South/South West Hospital Group on Friday and remains in place.

Anyone with any queries about visiting times or visiting a particular hospital should ring the hospital directly.

A spokesperson for the hospital said they regret any inconvenience caused to patients and relatives by these necessary measures.

All infection control measures are in place and every effort is being made by the hospital to manage and contain the spread of infection.

Management at the South/South West Hospital Group have requested that where appropriate the public contact their GP/Out of Hours service in the first instance and explore all other options available to them prior to presenting to Emergency Departments if their needs are not urgent.

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

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.